


The Troubles of Our Time

by Gamer_AlchemistZ, White_Lightning



Series: Bardock Series [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Related, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Gen, Major Character Injury, Major Original Character(s), Minor Canonical Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Minor Sailor Moon Characters, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-08-15 15:36:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 43,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8061946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamer_AlchemistZ/pseuds/Gamer_AlchemistZ, https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Lightning/pseuds/White_Lightning
Summary: Sequel to Bardock Son of Gohan. A year has passed since Bardock made it back to his own timeline. He and Pan are now going to school, trying to live a peaceful life. Unfortunately, what happens in one known timeline must also happen in the next known one. How will the two handle it when they have to face Majin Buu again? This time a few curve balls are thrown in as well. What is in store for our heroes this time?





	1. A New Year

The Troubles of Our Time

A year had passed since Bardock went back to his original timeline. He saw the familiar faces that aged in the 6 years he had been gone. He saw new faces like his Uncle Goten's, Bra Briefs', Trunks' wife Minako's, and his daughter Blouse's. He got to be with his family again after being away from them for so long. He had missed everyone deeply, and while he loved being in the other timeline, he began to see why this was his true timeline.

Like Pan, unfortunately, for staying so long in the other timeline, even though he was allowed to go, his punishment was to go to high school. Luckily, he only had to go for a year and a half considering he was already 16 by the time he got back to the timeline.

If he was being honest, it wasn't like he hated school with a burning passion. No, he just wished he had something better to do with his time. In his spare time when he didn't have homework, he trained with his father, grandfather, Vegeta, Piccolo and sometimes Trunks. That gave him something to look forward to at the end of every day. He had to be in top shape if he was going to fight any bad guys coming through. His mother liked to tell him that he scared them away, but he knew. He may not have been getting visions lately, but he knew evil wasn't as far away as everyone thought.

…

"Breakfast is ready!" Videl's voice sounded through the house. The mother of two shook her head amusedly when she felt a burst of wind at her back.

Pan gave her mother a peck on the cheek, "Morning, Mom." She walked over to the table as she put her hair in a ponytail. She glanced around, "Where are Dad and Bardock?" Usually, they were the first down for breakfast. Hell, the only thing that woke Bardock up was the smell of Videl's cooking.

Videl smiled as she put another plate of pancakes on the table, "Your father took him out for some light sparring before school started. Apparently, Bardock wasn't feeling too well."

"Really?" Pan asked confusedly, her mouth full of eggs. She swallowed her food when her mother narrowed her eyes. She coughed lightly, "He looked fine to me yesterday."

"He was complaining of headaches."

The door burst open a moment later, revealing the two missing male Sons. Both were shirtless and their hair was dripping water on the tile in the kitchen. Videl rolled her eyes as she stood up to grab a towel, "Really, guys. I really don't want to have to mop again."

Bardock grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, Mom. We didn't think we were gonna fall into the river but Dad here doesn't know how to dodge."

Gohan grabbed his son in a headlock and gave him a noogie, "I did dodge. You were the one who came back to push me in the river."

Videl shook her head, sharing a glance with her daughter, "I swear, you boys will never learn." She shoved them towards the table. "Now eat. I didn't cook for hours for nothing."

"Yes, ma'am," Gohan gave Videl a quick kiss before sitting next to Pan. He kissed his daughter's head and began to dig into the delicious meal in front of him. He worked up quite the appetite sparring with Bardock. It was taking a bit more energy just to keep up with the teen. He wondered if it was because he was getting older or that his son was just getting stronger and stronger as the days went by.

Bardock paused in his eating and gazed up at his mother who placed a hand on his forehead worriedly. Videl gave a small smile, "You sure you're okay? You know you don't have to go to school today if you don't feel good."

"I'm fine, Mom," Bardock said reassuringly. "The headaches weren't that bad and I was distracted with the sparring that I had totally forgot about them." He lifted his plate with a wide grin, "This food will definitely cure any illness."

Pan scoffed softly as she shoveled down her food, "Kiss up."

Videl laughed when Bardock stuck his tongue out at his sister before going back to devouring his food. She ruffled her son's hair, "Alright, you two. Just finish up your breakfast and finish getting ready. School starts in an hour and since you both are going, I don't want you to be late. It's your last year. You don't need to be slacking off."

She rolled her eyes when both teens sighed in relief at the thought of this being their last year in high school. Honestly, they acted as if high school was the worst thing to ever happen to them. As if they didn't fight rampaging androids until they were 10 years old.

Half an hour later, she watched as her kids bid her and their father goodbye before they flew off into the sky on their way to school. She sighed lightly, turning to Gohan, "You think they can handle their last year without anything happening?"

Gohan shrugged as he approached her, "Well, we've been at peace for 7 years. Maybe something will pop up but what can be worse than the androids that almost destroyed the planet?"

"I guess you're right," Videl smiled in agreement. She let out a soft sigh, "It's been nice having the both of them back after all these years, but them going to school leaves us with more time on our hands."

"Wanna take advantage of our free time?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

In Orange City, Bardock yawned as he walked the halls of Orange Star High School with Pan. He rubbed his eyes before moving his hands to his forehead, trying to maybe knead the headache to dull it down to just a small throb instead of the constant stabbing sensation.

Pan glanced at her brother with a raised eyebrow, "Are you sure you're okay? You don't usually complain about a sickness to get out of school."

Bardock gave a muffled huff as he continued massaging his temples, "I'm fine. It's just a stupid pain in my head. I think Dad hit me too hard or something."

The two reached their classroom and walked inside. They found their seats and made their way to them just as the bell ring. Bardock toned out, like he usually did in the mornings, the teacher's monotone voice.

He wondered why he was getting these insistent headaches. It made no sense. He was half saiyan; he never got sick or even close to it. The last time he ever ran a fever or even had a splitting headache was before he went to the present timeline 7 years ago. These two occurrences had nothing common about them, so why was he-

"…And for the project, you'll be in groups of four," The teacher's voice reached his ears despite his use of shutting it out.

The male half saiyan glanced at his sister who gave him a thumbs up. He gave her one back and watched as she moved her gaze to the girl who sat in the row below her. He felt his heart fall to his stomach when he saw a familiar head of thick raven hair turn to Pan. The girl smiled widely at Pan and nodded to whatever his sister said. She moved her gaze up to him and her black eyes narrowed.

 _Ah, crap baskets,_ he groaned to himself, burying his head in his arms.


	2. The Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of the project.

Chapter 2

Bardock stared up at the ceiling of his classroom, leaning back on his chair. The class was silent. The only noise that was heard was the pencil scratching the paper as the students took the test the teacher gave out. He had finished his a short while after it was given and was now balancing a pencil on his upper lip in boredom.

He glanced over at Pan to see her doodling in her notebook. She had finished around the same time he had and he knew she was dying to get out of class just as much as he was. Being locked in a classroom for over 5 hours was overwhelmingly boring. There was only so much a half-saiyan could take before they blew a hole in the wall and flew out of there. The only reason they didn't do any of that was because of their mother. If they feared anything other than actual villains, it was their mother's wrath.

His eyes moved around the classroom, taking in the occasional sleeping student or those who still hadn't finished the test. The black orbs wandered to a random girl who wore earrings that had large pink puff balls dangling.

He furrowed his brows, tilting his head curiously. He stiffened when the back of his neck stung. He lowered the seat's front legs to the ground as his vision was suddenly filled with a familiar sadistic face.

The stinging pain soon turned into a headache inducing throbbing. Bardock breathed deeply, trying to remember his mother's soothing words and his father's deep, even voice. Beads of sweat gathered on his head as he fought the internal battle against whatever the hell was going on in his head.

This was not the time to be getting visions. These were peaceful times. These people didn't deserve to go through another disaster. He wasn't going to let that happen again. He wasn't-

"Bardock?"

The images left the half saiyan's eyes as a familiar voice cut through. He swallowed dryly and turned to the owner of the voice. He forced a chuckle when he saw worried brown eyes staring down at him, "Hey, Tekka."

"The bell rang. I'm surprised you didn't hear it," Tekka informed. He tilted his head with a light frown as he gazed at his friend, "You okay? You look a little pale."

Bardock shook his head as he massaged his forehead. He patted Tekka's shoulder with a forced grin when he stood from his seat, "I'm fine, Tek. Just had a headache that won't quit."

As they walked out of class to catch up with Pan, Tekka spoke up a bit nervously, "You sure it's cool that I join your group for the project?" He grinned sheepishly at Bardock's incredulous raised eyebrow, "Sorry. I just wanted to make sure Pan was okay with it."

"Why wouldn't she be?" Bardock asked skeptically as they walked out of the school's front entrance.

The dark haired human waved his hands with a shaky laugh, "Just asking." He lifted his head and smiled when he caught sight of the two they were looking for, "Pan's over there with Gine."

"Hey, Tekka," Gine greeted once the males made it to them. She gave a short nod to Bardock, "Bardock." He could barely see her black irises through her slight glare.

Bardock shared a glance with his sister who only smirked amusedly. He sighed mentally and scratched his head as he followed the rest of the group to Tekka's jet copter. Being in a jet copter for over two hours was not something he wanted to endure. This was one of the many reasons he wished Pan would let him tell their friends about their abilities, but Pan insisted that some people were still uneasy around those who had the same abilities as the androids.

The two humans were orphans, having lost their parents either before the attack with the androids or the natural causes during the cyborgs' rampages. Tekka lived with his grandparents while Gine lived in a foster home with many other kids whose parents weren't revived after the deaths of 17 and 18.

Pan met Gine when she started middle school after she had gotten back to the original timeline. The two instantly hit it off and became friends. They mostly connected through their shared but small interest in martial arts. Pan informed her new friend of how martial arts ran through the blood of her family while Gine told her that she had only dabbled in it in hopes to be like the golden fighters who fought the androids and saved the city.

After Gine revealed a close, terrifying encounter she had with the androids, Pan decided to keep her powers a secret and insisted her brother do the same. Gine was a great friend and she was not going to lose her just because she and the androids shared the same abilities.

Bardock met Tekka when he got back to the timeline but before school started. The two met when he accidentally bumped into the human on his way to Capsule Corp. The half saiyan male hadn't wanted to make any friends with humans since he felt the only way he could be happy was to be able to be himself, he actually himself fond of the soft spoken human.

Pan told him it was because Tekka had great admiration for the gold fighters, including a certain super saiyan who was 10 years old at the time that Bardock's interest was peaked, but it was because Tekka reminded him a bit of their present timeline father that they actually became best friends.

He had wanted to show Tekka his powers, but with his promise to Pan, he held in any comments of what had happened 7 years prior and shoved any urge to use his powers to the back of his mind. If there was one thing Bardock didn't want to do, it was break a promise to his sister no matter how much he disliked it.

In turn, Pan was fond of Tekka as well, but when it came to Bardock and his friendship with Gine; well, those two had some issues to work through.

"Welcome home," Videl greeted with a smile when she saw the four enter. "It's nice to see you two again."

Gine smiled while Tekka grinned, politely saying, "Thank you for letting us study here."

The mother of the half saiyans chuckled, "You're most welcome, Tekka." She turned to her children questioningly, "What are you guys studying for?"

"Group project," Bardock answered, giving her a kiss on the cheek before heading into the kitchen. He stuffed a muffin in his mouth and spoke around it, "Where's Dad?"

As Pan took the two into her room, Videl addressed her son, "Your father's out training with Vegeta and your grandfather. He said he'll be back in time for dinner."

Bardock huffed a laugh, "Doesn't he always?" He shoved a few cookies in his mouth and was making his way to his room when his mother caught him by the arm.

Videl gave him a stern glare, "Can I trust you and Gine in the same room together?"

"Come on, Mom," Bardock mumbled, a small blush rising to his cheeks. "It's not like we're gonna tear down the house. It was just one little spat that happened months ago."

"A spat that almost turned into an actual fist fight," Videl corrected. She gave a sigh, "I just don't want you two arguing again. I can tell your headaches haven't gone away and whether it has to do with a sickness or not, I don't want it getting worse."

At his shocked gaze, she scoffed, "Do you really think I don't know my own son's ticks?" She rolled her eyes and patted his cheek, "I'll be making dinner in a few hours so make sure you guys study hard before you get distracted by food." She grabbed his last cookie and made her way to her room.

Bardock pouted at the lost snack before he grudgingly walked over to his room. He resisted the urge to make a comment about everyone gathering in his room mainly because he knew their father didn't allow any boys in Pan's room and because he didn't want to start an argument with either of the females in the room.

"Have you guys figured out a subject for this project?" He asked as he sat down on the floor next to Tekka. Gine had taken his desk chair while Pan was laid out on his bed, going over the notes each of them had taken.

Pan chewed on her pen thoughtfully, "I don't know. It's either when Grandpa Goku won the World Martial Arts Tournament, Grandpa Hercule won the World Martial Arts Tournament, or how the androids came to be and how they were destroyed."

"I voted on the latter," Tekka threw in quietly, wincing when Gine narrowed her eyes at him. Poor kid; he wasn't used to those kinds of stares yet.

Gine frowned, "I don't want to do anything that has to do with those cyborgs. I'd rather do something about the tournaments."

Bardock groaned, burying his annoyance as he rubbed his temples when he felt the familiar pricks of pain begin again, "I'd rather not. I've had to hear those stories way too many times to count." He ignored Pan's elbow that sharply hit his ribs.

"Then this should be easy for you."

A sharp inhale. "Are there any other topics we can do?" Bardock asked as he pushed the heel of his hands into his eyes in hopes it would stop the insistent throbbing in his head.

Tekka flipped through his notes and blinked, "Well, apparently, if we do a report on the upcoming tournament, it'll be the same as doing a presentation on any of these topics."

Pan clapped her hands and threw the human male a grateful glance, "Well that's settled then. We were already going to the tournament, so now all we have to do is split the work on whatever happens."

While Bardock was glad the topic was decided with little fanfare, he couldn't help but dread the idea of the upcoming tournament once he felt his scar heat up painfully.


	3. The Gang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family was back together but why did it feel like something was about to go wrong?

Chapter 3

Videl watched her children spar in the backyard as she washed the mountain of dishes that were left from breakfast. While she wished she had some help with cleaning up, she remembered the last time she asked Bardock and Gohan for help and how they cracked or broke nearly every single plate or glass they got their hands on. She loved her boys dearly but she could not trust them when it came to fragile items around the house.

Pan was a different story. She wasn't nearly as strong as her father or brother so she didn't have trouble with cleaning up, but she skirted away from the chore like any other saiyan would. Her daughter even threw in that she wanted to spar with Bardock so she could get away from the pile of dishes. Pan hated sparring with Bardock, so she knew she really didn't want to touch the dirty dishes with a ten foot pole.

Again, Videl couldn't blame them. She loved them dearly and she knew cooking and cleaning up after them was worth it if she got to see them every single day. She went years without a lot of people in her life; she'd kill Kami first if he took away her family again.

Outside, Bardock dodged Pan's punches and kicks. He knew she was getting angry and he couldn't blame her. He had always been stronger than her even when they were kids, but now he was on a level she couldn't even touch. And since she had their mother's attitude when it came to fighting, he knew she was angrier than usual.

This is why she never wanted to spar with him. She would rather her father but since he was out visiting his parents, she had to stick with her frustrating brother.

"Come on, Pan," Bardock grunted as he caught her fist. "This isn't going to get any better if you're mad at me." He then rolled his eyes when she lit up, "And it's not going to be better if you're a super saiyan."

Pan groaned irritably, wrenching her hand out of her brother's grip, "Shut up. That's easy for you to say." She floated down to the grass and laid on the grass, powering down with a defeated sigh.

Bardock floated down as well. He stood in front of her and wagged his finger as he tsked with a grin, "Like I told you before, sis. You have to train your base form before you go all out in your super saiyan form."

"It's not like I'm gonna be as strong as you or Dad. Might as well just quit while I'm ahead," She muttered as she threw her arm over her eyes.

"Don't say that," Bardock scolded as he sat down next to her. "You may not be as strong as me, Dad, Grandpa, or Vegeta, but that's not what this training is about. It's about you being strong enough to fight whatever comes at our family if we're not here to help."

Pan furrowed her brow confusedly, "What does that even mean?"

"Look, Dad in the past knew he couldn't defeat Majin Buu, but he knew that he could at least try and take out Dabura. That didn't work out and it showed him that if he wanted to protect the people he loved, he had to train."

"I get it, I get it," Pan waved her hand sluggishly at her brother who simply laughed at her tired state.

The two moved their gaze up when their mother opened the window over the sink. She smiled at them, "Your father's back. He wants you to get dressed so we can go to Bulma's fro Trunks' welcome back party."

The twin half saiyans cheered as they raced back inside the house, giving their mother a peck on the cheek and their father a hug. Gohan shook his head fondly as Videl came up and wrapped her arms around his waist, "They never grow up, do they?"

Videl hummed, leaning into her husband's chest, "I'm kind of glad. They deserved a better childhood so they can be kids no matter how long. I'm fine with it."

Later that night found the entire Son family and the Z Fighters in Capsule Corp. as they waited for the man of the hour. Bulma, who spent hours getting everything ready with her mother, was sitting down, hoping to get her bearings back before Trunks came. Vegeta was taking care of Bra while Mrs. Briefs was bringing out more snacks since the Son boys ate the majority of them when they came in.

The doors soon opened and in walked Trunks with his daughter in his arms and Minako by his side. Minako giggled happily while Trunks beamed at the sight of his full family cheering as he came through the door.

"TRUNKS!" Most of his family and friends shouted happily.

Bulma, Chi-Chi, Gohan, Videl, Bardock, and Pan almost flew at the happy family and enveloped them in tight hugs, laughing together. They soon pulled away with Bulma taking Blouse in her arms and Chi-Chi following her while Gohan led the couple in the house where they were greeted with more hugs.

Videl smiled at her children who were still giddy after the exchange, "It's nice to have him back, isn't it?" She put her arms around the both of them when they glanced at her questioningly, "It's like our old family is back together."

Pan giggled, her eyes soft as she watched her father and Trunks conversing, "Yeah. I didn't realize how much I missed it."

"We went through a lot together," Bardock mumbled. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and gave a groan, "Now that he's here, can we eat now? I can feel my stomach wanting to eat itself." He turned his head to the table filled with food and glared, "Damn it, Grandpa! I told you not to start without me."

Pan shook her head, rolling her eyes but following her brother's example. Videl laughed and walked over to Minako and Blouse. She was glad she made a plate for herself before or else she'd be the one starving.

It wasn't much later when Bardock found himself talking to his father and Trunks. He finally got to pry the purple haired half saiyan away from the others and he wasn't going to waste his time talking about that dumb conference. He knew Trunks was probably bored talking about it as well.

"Are you gonna enter the tournament coming up?" Bardock spoke up as he chewed on his chicken leg.

Trunks laughed, putting a hand on the back of his head, "Oh man, I totally forgot they were doing that this year." He shrugged with a grin, "I don't know. If you and Gohan are entering, there'd really be no point. It's not like I would win and we don't really need to money right now."

Gohan rolled his eyes as he punched Trunks' shoulder lightly, "Come on, when did I ever train a quitter? Besides, it's more of a bonding experience than an actual all out brawl."

"I didn't even get to participate in the other tournament, so I'm actually a little excited," Bardock commented. "Pan told me how she went against 18, Trunks, and Goten last time, but once the runts were dealt with, she forfeited so she wouldn't have to go against Grandpa Hercule."

Trunks narrowed his eyes playfully, "I don't think I like you calling me a runt, runt." He took a sip of his champagne.

"What do you mean 18?" Gohan asked lowly.

Bardock stiffened, inwardly cursing Pan for not explaining what happened in the other timeline after Trunks left. He laughed nervously, waving his hands despite one being occupied with the chicken leg, "D-d-did I say 18? I m-meant late teen. Y-yeah, Pan and I were in our late teens when we participated in the tournament."

"Wait, don't tell me," Trunks blanched. "Krillin actually got with Android 18?"

"Y-yeah," The younger saiyan nodded, inwardly sighing in relief when Gohan's gaze became less cold. "They actually got married and have a little girl named Marron."

Trunks and Gohan exchanged horrified glances before uttering in unison, "How?!"

Bardock sputtered, his cheeks blazing red, "Shut up! You both have kids. You should know how!" He grunted in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head, "Whatever. I'm going to talk to Pan."

By the time he reached Pan, she was already giggling at his red face, "You know they weren't really asking that, right?"

"I still didn't want to explain that to them," He mumbled, cursing his stupid blood for not leaving his cheeks.

"You're just like Dad from the other timeline," Pan teased. She reached over and ruffled her brother's hair. It was a shorter hairstyle since the style he had when he was younger was a bit too big and unruly. While he was acting like their father from the past, he was a spitting image of their actual father. If it wasn't for their father's facial scar, she would have a hard time telling the two apart.

She tilted her head curiously when she noticed the faraway look in his eyes, "What's going on in your head, right now?"

He shook his head slowly as he scratched his cheek, "Just thinking about the past, I guess. I wonder how they're doing or how much time has passed since the last time I was there."

"Feeling restless?"

"Not really," He mumbled as they sat down on a few leftover chairs. He put his elbow on his thigh and leaned his head on his hand. He sighed, shaking his head again, "I don't know what it is, but I just keep getting this feeling; like déjà vu or something. It's been happening this past week and I still don't know why."

Pan gazed at her brother, raising a thoughtful eyebrow, "Do you think an enemy's coming?" She shrugged when he blinked at her, "I mean, you are the only person who knows when something bad is coming. Maybe that's what you're feeling."

Bardock groaned silently, lifting a hand to the back of his neck and feeling the raised skin, "I sure hope not."


	4. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pan wanted her two best friends to get along.

Chapter 4

"So tell me again why you hate my brother?" Pan questioned her friend once she noticed Gine glaring at Bardock again. Lunch was about half way through and this was the fifth time she caught her friend staring at him yet again. He was playing catch with Tekka, tossing an apple back and forth. She was surprised he hadn't eaten it yet.

She glanced at her friend who continued to glare and sighed. She set down her chopsticks and smiled at her, "Come on, Gine, I promise you that Bardock isn't that bad. Actually, he isn't bad at all."

Gine passed Pan her bowl of rice once she realized she wasn't as hungry as Pan would ever be. She huffed, smiling slight in amusement as she watched her dig in, "You do know you're biased, right?"

"Reaff?" Pan's speech was muffled by the rice stuffed in her mouth. She swallowed and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. You trust that I'm a good judge of character, right? Or that my parents are too? Or heck, my whole family-"

"I haven't met your whole family and I'm sad it's taken you this long to introduce me."

"Gine," Pan said with a shake of her head. "Why can't you just tell me?"

Gine let out a groan, laying her head on the table, "Because when I say it out loud, it starts to sound dumb. I've been holding a grudge just because he tried to punch you and he gave you a black eye even though I know you and him spar all the time."

She lifted her head when she felt a pat on her hand. She pouted when she saw Pan trying to hide her snickers. "Oh come on! The least you can do is be a little sympathetic for your best friend. I'm having a crisis!"

"Okay, now you're overreacting," Pan giggled. "Besides, once you stop glaring at Bardock, I'm sure he'll forget about you hating him."

"Or he'll be the same insensitive jerk he always is."

Pan tilted her head confusedly, "Bardock? An insensitive jerk?" She gave a unladylike cackle, "Yeah right. This is coming from the guy who cries every time we watch a soap drama and gets way too enthusiastic when he sees dogs. My brother is many things, my dear friend Gine. Overprotective and a bit annoying at times, yes, but an insensitive jerk he is not."

She tapped her friend's nose teasingly, giggling at her crossed eyes, "And that is my unbiased opinion. Besides…" She gestured to where Tekka and Bardock who were now walking over to them, "He and Tekka are best friends and if Tekka thought Bardock was a jerk, they wouldn't be friends. He's a great judge of character, you know that."

"What are you guys talking about?" Bardock asked as he sat down at their table. He took Pan's chocolate chip cookie and bit into it before she could snatch it back. He shoved it in her mouth when she tried to snatch it back.

Pan petulantly eat the snack in her mouth, swallowing it before asking, "Why are you even over here? Weren't you with Tekka?"

"Tekka's in the bathroom. I have nothing else to do right now," Bardock pouted childishly. He leaned his head down, placing his chin on her head. "And sometimes I like to just sit and talk to my sister, you know."

"Liar," Pan muttered with a fond roll of her eyes. She pushed him off her and stood up, dusting off the rice and cookie crumbs that fell on her. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom too. Why don't you guys catch up with each other?" She left before they could protest.

Bardock glared at his sister's retreating back, knowing full well that she left him with Gine because she wanted them to bond. She had wanted that the day they formally met each other and it didn't work out then since Gine only saw him as a brute who unapologetically punched his sister in the face.

He turned his eyes to Gine and was surprised she wasn't still glaring at him. He felt her eyes on him since lunch started. He felt the universe was righted when she rolled her eyes, "Can you stop looking like I kicked your puppy?"

"I'd fight you if you did that."

"Oh, I'm sure you would. I've seen your work first hand before."

"You're still on about that?" Bardock groaned exasperatedly. "I told you and Pan told you that we were just sparring. I would never beat my sister. I love her too much to ever do anything without her consent."

Gine stared at him for a moment before she sighed heavily, "Yeah, I see that now." She locked eyes with him, her black orbs sincere as she said, "I'm sorry for acting like jerk."

A heat that was starting to become familiar crept onto Bardock's cheeks. He lifted his hand to his mouth, coughing lightly as he averted his eyes, "It's fine. No harm done." He glanced back at her, giving a small smile, "So, what do you normally do when Pan's not around?"

"Trying to get to know me?" Gine teased, a smirk on her lips.

Bardock chuckled, "Well, you are my sister's best friend. She became friends with Tekka because he's my best friend so I want to repay the favor. Besides…" He grinned, "If Pan likes you, that means you're something great, and like any brother, I can't let her keep someone like that to herself."

Gine scoffed, rolling her eyes good naturedly, "Now you're just trying to flatter me."

"Is it working?"

"You tell me." The two grinned wickedly at each other before Gine chuckled, answering his previous question, "I sometimes train when I'm not cooking." Her amusement came in her loud laugh the minute she saw him beam brightly at the mention of her cooking, "I knew that would get you. Pan was the same way when I told her."

"The best way to get through the Son family is through their stomachs," Bardock said jokingly despite it being fully true. He leaned in eagerly, clasping his hands together, "Okay, what else is there about you?"

Gine giggled, a wide smile on her lips, "Well, I like to read crime, mystery, and romance novels. I draw sometimes when I feel motivated. When I'm not doing chores, I like watching soap dramas."

Bardock gasped happily, "Hey, me too! I watch them with Pan and my mom. My dad likes to say he doesn't like it, but he watches it when he thinks we're sleeping." He laughed at a sudden memory, "Oh man, you should see when Vegeta and Bulma get to watching them. Vegeta screams at the TV every time someone does something stupid."

If someone asked Gine what she found handsome about Bardock, she'd deny that any part of him was handsome, but watching him laugh and smile so brightly made her realize that he was the most beautiful person she'd ever met.

"Sorry, sorry," Bardock waved his hand with a sheepish smile when he saw her staring out into space, a light pink hue on her cheeks. "We were talking about you and I just went on a spiel about soap dramas. My bad. Please, continue."

The bell rang, stopping the conversation from continuing. Gine sighed with a small apologetic smile, "Guess that's all you get today."

Bardock snapped his fingers. "Darn, I was really looking forward to it too." He stood up, beginning to follow her towards their class.

A sharp pain hit his head. He halted himself, his body shaking uncontrollably. He opened his mouth and tried to call out to Gine but his vision began to grow fuzzy and his mouth felt too heavy to move. A ringing in his ears was the last thing he heard before darkness took over his vision.


	5. The Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hadn't wanted it to happen, but the stupid vision came to tell him that his old enemy was back.

Chapter 5

_Not again. He hated these stupid flashes. Oh look, the tournament was showing. This was going to be good. Well, there they are, watching Yamcha and Krillin fighting. Shin was back and Piccolo forfeited again. If he was back, that meant…great, so Babidi was here._

_Who was that kid fighting Tekka? No, not Tekka. He's just a regular human. He's not strong enough to take this fighter on. Leave him alone._

_The one who fought Tekka, he must've been a replacement for Spopovich which meant he was working with someone else. Kibito was on the tournament stage with Trunks. Damn, Trunks was taking his dad's place. They all had to stand there while Trunks got his ki taken._

_He groaned, gazing miserably when he saw the familiar faces of Babidi, Dabura, and…who were all of these people? These weren't the same people Bardock and the others fought in the original timeline. These aliens were completely different. Wait, was that guy a human or an alien? His face, his hair; he could almost say he was a Saiyan._

_Oh no, Buu was back again. But wait, if they were able to talk him down, just like Hercule did in the other timeline, they might get him onto their side. Besides, he was stronger than he was all those years ago. He could take Buu on if he needed to._

_The mysterious villain, the one who could be a Saiyan; he was strong. Almost too strong for them._

_No. He was fighting them. They weren't going to last._

_Now he has Buu. Stop. No!_

_No! Not his dad! Not Trunks!_

_Stop it! STOP IT!_

"STOP!"

"Bardock!"

Bardock panted raggedly, sweat dripping down his forehead and coating the rest of his body, causing his clothes to stick to him uncomfortably. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the unfamiliar white ceiling and bright lights that weren't great for the headache that kept making his head pound.

"Where am I?" He croaked out, wincing when his throat protested, making his eyes water. He could see the blurry figures of his sister, Gine, Tekka, and his parents who he assumed rushed over when they heard he was in the nurse's office.

Pan, who had called out to him, sighed heavily in relief, "You're in the nurse's office. Gine said you collapsed. We brought you here when you started having spasms. The nurse said you had a fever."

Bardock lifted a hand, touching his sweat covered forehead. He sniffed, wiping the sweat off his face. "I don't know what happened. I just…I just hit the ground before I could even take a step anywhere."

He glanced at his parents and locked eyes with his father who gazed at him worriedly though he could see the inquiry in his eyes. He gave a subtle nod before turning back to the others. "I'm sorry I worried you guys. I was 10 the last time something like this happened and I always thought it was a one-time thing."

"We're just glad you're okay," Tekka smiled, scratching his head. "P-Pan was really worried and if she was worried then something must've been wrong, and you're a tough guy, B, and I know you can't fall down so easily but Pan was freaking out a bit and I was getting worried so…so…" His smile turned sheepish when Bardock and Gohan gazed at him with narrowed eyes.

Gine stepped forward, concern swimming in her dark eyes, "You sure you're okay?"

Bardock nodded, "Yeah, yes, I'm fine." He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. His hand halted, his finger caressing the scar that took home there after he destroyed the androids.

"Okay," Videl exhaled. "Why don't you kids go on home? We'll take care of Bardock and he'll call you when we get home."

Tekka and Gine nodded in agreement. Tekka clapped Bardock's shoulder and made him promise to call him the minute he got home. Gine gave Pan a hug and gave Bardock a quick one as well, her arms going around his shoulders for only a moment before she bid goodbye.

Once they were gone, Bardock stood from the nurse's bed. "Do you want to go home now or do want to continue questioning me? I don't think I fake another collapse even if I wanted to."

"Bardock," Pan scolded, punching his shoulder lightly. "Let's just go home."

"Okay," Bardock mumbled, putting two fingers to his forehead. He smiled reassuringly when his mother gazed worriedly. "Mom, it's not like I'm out of ki. I can get us home no problem."

He put his hand on Videl's shoulder while Pan and Gohan held onto him. One moment they were in the nurse's office and the next they were gone. That might've startled a certain someone when they went back for their belongings.

Gohan was the first to speak up when they were all settled in the kitchen, "The last time this happened was when you defeated the androids. A few months after that, you told Bulma you needed to go to the past to help them fight this enemy you saw in your visions."

"More or less, yeah," Bardock replied, his hands fidgeting on the table.

"All I'm asking is do you need to go back to the past?"

"No," Bardock shook his head.

His parents sighed in relief at that. "Thank Kami," Videl said lightly. "I don't think I could've handled it if the two of you went away again."

"Last time it would've only been me like it was supposed to be had Pan not followed me in the time machine."

Pan stuck her tongue out indignantly at her brother's comment. While her parents were glad that Bardock wasn't leaving, she knew that there were more important matters in the visions than Bardock's maybe leaving this timeline again. He had the visions for a reason after all. "Who did you see in this timeline then?"

Bardock sighed heavily, licking his dry lips, "I saw Babidi and Dabura again. Buu was there too, but it didn't seem like he was the threat."

"Majin Buu?" Videl inquired. "Is that the one that killed Vegeta?"

"Vegeta sacrificed himself but it didn't do any good. Majin Buu, the fat version, couldn't be killed by certain techniques. It was why when he turned into Super Buu, it was much easier to fight him," Bardock informed.

Pan scoffed, "Please. You could barely lay a hand on him. Don't even get me started on Kid Buu. That one kicked yours and Dad's asses." She squawked when Bardock smacked her head playfully.

Gohan waved his hands, bringing them back to the matter at hand. "If Buu was the reason you had the vision the first time, who was the reason this time if not Buu? Who else did you see?"

Bardock exhaled, his mind trying to dig deeper into the vision, "Well, the people we first fought weren't there. Pui Pui and Yakon were replaced with some other aliens. Even Spopovich and Yamu were replaced with younger versions. Some things were the same like them stealing someone's ki and beating someone brutally. But the strongest one, that one that caught my attention, was this skinny tall guy standing next to Babidi."

His brow furrowed as he tried to remember the man's features. "I couldn't tell if he was human or an alien, but I could feel his power. It was unlike any other. Buu's was like an evil well that was endless but this guy; it was like he had all the power in the universe just living under his skin. He was powerful. I could sense it. If I had to guess, I'd say he might be a Saiyan."

The news shocked them. Gohan shook his head slowly, "No way. Vegeta said there were only few survivors and most have been killed."

"He must've found a way to survive," Bardock responded. "But it's just a guess. I'm not saying it's true. We can't tell Vegeta either. He'll go crazy if he hears about this."

"That's true." The rest of them nodded in agreement.

A beat of silence passed before Pan spoke up again, "The tournament is where it always starts, right?"

Bardock nodded, "Just like last time. Some roles may be changed but it happens almost exactly like it did in the past." He smiled sheepishly at his parents, "We're going to need to take the next couple months of school off to train for the tournament and for whoever's with Babidi and Buu."

"That can't be helped," Gohan chuckled. "Your mom and I will call the school tomorrow to excuse you. I'm sure your teachers won't mind."

Videl frowned thoughtfully, "If it's just like last time, can't you just go and find where Babidi's hiding and stop Buu from being hatched?"

"I don't know," Bardock sighed heavily. "They might have changed their location and I haven't been able to sense them at all which is crazy since that guy in my vision seemed really powerful."

He shook his head as he gazed at his family, "We…we shouldn't worry so much about it, guys. The androids were the toughest beings we fought in this timeline, but we're stronger than we were 7 years ago. I'm stronger than I was when I first fought Buu and so is Pan. We'll win this fight and no one will die. I'll make sure of it. We'll be fine."

"Let's hope we are," Gohan stated.

Though Bardock had said the tournament was when everything was going to start just like in the past, Pan didn't think anything would change that. She was proven wrong when Gine and Tekka showed up at their door, Tekka looking frazzled and Gine indifferent.

What happened next truly showed that things were repeating themselves in this timeline, albeit with different roles for everyone.

"You have powers!" Tekka exclaimed, both frantically and excitedly.

Bardock raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence, "What are you talking about?"

Gine rolled her eyes, "Tekka says he saw you guys disappear from the nurse's office when he went back for his backpack. He came running to me after. Now we're here in hopes that you'll teach us your 'ways'."

"Please, please, please, please," Tekka pleaded.

"Sorry, Pan," Bardock sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't sense him."

Pan patted her brother's shoulder, silently telling him she didn't blame him. She locked eyes with Gine, the reason why she was so adamant on hiding their powers, and spoke, "Guys, we have something we have to tell you; something we should've told you a while ago."


	6. Flight Lessons Part Deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At least they got one or two secrets out in the open.

Chapter 6

"I can't believe you have powers," Tekka almost gushed once more. He had been giddy since Pan and Bardock accepted to train him only a few hours ago. Bardock was the one who had to hear his chattering since Pan and Gine were still discussing Pan's omission of truth and Gine's reaction to it all.

Bardock blinked, murmuring around the chocolate bar Tekka had intended to bribe them with, his mouth full, "Hmm?" He swallowed the chunk in his mouth and shrugged. "Anyone could utilize ki if they have the right training. My mom learned how to fly in a month and she didn't know how to use ki until she met my dad."

"Really? Why didn't you tell me before?" Tekka pouted childishly, flopping down on the grass. He sighed airily, "I feel like you don't love me anymore."

"Yeah, well, if I didn't, I wouldn't be training you, now would I?"

Tekka sat up eagerly, waving his hand with a grin, "Right, right." His brown eyes were lit up like the bolts that flew around Bardock when he powered up to a high level. "So, can we get started?"

Moments later found the four teens together in the backyard of the Son house. After Pan and Gine hashed out everything about the new information given to the humans, other than the fact that Pan and Bardock were definitely not human, they moved with the boys to start the ki lessons the two wanted.

"Okay." Bardock clapped his hands, ready to start. "Now, everything we do, the ki blasts, flying and other stuff, have to do with ki. Ki is something all humans have, but not all humans have enough to utilize it like we do."

"Your ki can grow the more you train," Pan added helpfully. "Our mom trained for over 10 years without knowing about ki. Her ki was above the average human's and when she started training with it, she became pretty strong." She exhaled, "What I'm trying to say is this; Gine, since you've been training for a while, your ki is just above the average human's."

Bardock threw in next, "Tekka, since you only do martial arts as a hobby, your ki is a little strong, but not as strong as Gine's."

Tekka dramatically placed a hand over his heart. "You two are merciless. I don't think my ki is strong enough for these insults." He flinched when Gine smacked him over the head.

"Anyway," Bardock rolled his eyes amusedly. "To start, you have to bring out your ki. By doing that, you'll be able to have a handle on it and we'll start the flying lessons."

Pan put her hands forward and began focusing her ki, pushing out a raw version of it to light up between her palms. The two humans watched in awe as the small ball of light formed in front of them.

A moment later, it disappeared. Pan grinned, "Now you two try. Feel for your ki in your core and push it out. Don't force it though. Just let it come naturally."

The two half Saiyans watched as their friends sat on the grass and followed Pan's example. Bardock had never taught anyone how to fly, he only helped perfect Goten's and Bra's flying when they asked him to, so he didn't really have the touch of teaching.

Pan, on the other hand, had been there when their father taught their mother to fly. She was less patient than Bardock, but when she knew something great was going to come out of something, she liked to see it through to the end. While she had some faith that Tekka would be able to bring out his ki, she knew for a fact that Gine would have an easier time doing it. Heck, she'd probably get flying down in less than a month.

An hour later, Bardock felt his eyelids drooping until Gine's voice cried out, "I got it!"

The other three turned to her and saw the small ball of light flicker with little life before it finally lit up with Gine's enthusiasm as well as the small amount of ki she had in her.

"Nice job, Gine," Pan clapped happily.

Gine exhaled, the light between her hands dying out. She fell on her back, breathing deeply. She hadn't realized it would take this much energy out of her. Damn, if Pan could do that without even blinking, she probably had an enormous amount of ki, Gine thought to herself.

Turning to Tekka, Bardock gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Tek. Just have a little patience and you'll get it in no time."

"Thanks, buddy."

It took a little while longer but Tekka was finally able to draw out what little ki he could and display it for them.

Bardock cheered at the little light, "Alright, Tek! Now we can move onto flying." His face fell when he realized the two student had now fallen asleep.

Pan laughed, "Come on, bro. Let's let them nap for a bit and then we'll get started with the real lesson."

"Fine. I am pretty hungry too. I think it's time for lunch."

The two carried their friends into the house and set them on their beds. Their stomachs grumbled when they smelled the delicious lunch their mother was making.

Videl chuckled when she saw her kids drooling, "It's almost finished." She glanced towards their rooms. "Are Tekka and Gine eating?"

"They're asleep right now," Pan replied. "It took a lot of energy out of them to get their ki out. They might sleep for an hour or so."

A minute later, Gohan came out of the bathroom. He dried his face with a towel as he sat down at the table with Pan and Bardock. He kissed Videl's cheek when she set down a few plates for them. "Thanks, honey."

"Anytime, tough guy," Videl smiled, kissing his head as well.

Once all the plates were set, the Saiyans wasted no time in digging in, easily finishing two bowls of rice and meat in seconds.

Gine and Tekka soon came out of Pan and Bardock's rooms respectively. They took a moment to stare in disbelief at the way the Saiyans ate. Videl stood and gave them the plates she set aside just for them. They thanked her and ate eagerly. The energy they wasted not only left them tired, but starving as well. They were beginning to see why Pan and Bardock ate so much on an almost hourly basis.

The two humans helped Videl clean up the pile of dishes once everyone was finished with their meals. Even though the mother of the twin half saiyans protested at first, she realized that it would be much easier if they helped.

"Okay, now just relax," Pan advised when she saw how stiff the two were. "It's just like before; if you force it, it won't happen. You have to let your ki flow through you and then use it to push yourself up. It might seem hard at first, but you'll get it as long as you relax."

The half saiyans gazed at the two in front of them. Bardock sat down on the grass while getting a feel of Tekka and Gine's ki. Though the two got the majority of their energy back from eating a hefty lunch, he could see that Tekka would barely be able to float before he passed out again. On the other hand, Gine might be able to get a feel of flying before she began to run on nothing but fumes.

A grin soon blossomed on his face when he felt Gine's fluctuating ki. Her feet began to leave the ground slowly as she began to float. His grin became soft when he saw her face full of wonder and an awe look of innocence. He wished he and Pan could've looked like that when they first began to fly.

Pan stepped forward, catching Gine's hands gently. "Easy, easy. You don't want to go too high if you're not used to it. My uncle did that once and it was a nasty fall."

"Okay," Gine breathed shakily, nodding. She let herself float just a few more inches in the air before letting herself fall back to the ground where she landed on her behind.

A glance at Tekka showed that the grass below him was swaying but his body wasn't floating just yet. He was bringing out his ki and if he didn't use it to push himself up anytime soon, he would be running low and wouldn't be able to even float.

Bardock walked over to his friend and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't think too much on it, Tek. Just relax and push yourself up."

Tekka gave a nod and exhaled deeply. He closed his eyes, concentrating. A beat later, he was slowly floating in the air. When he felt the weightlessness around him, his eyes snapped open and a disbelieving laugh escaped his mouth. "Oh, man! This is amazing!"

"Alright!" Bardock cheered, clapping his hands once the two were sitting. "Now that you've got that down, we're gonna be sparring these next few weeks. If you want to master flying, you have to get a bigger ki. At this point in time, you'd barely be able to go home and then you'd most likely collapse before you got to the front door."

"That's so mean," Tekka panted, small beads of sweat falling down his face. "But so true. I accept your training."

Gine gave a weak smile, "I'll take it too. Hopefully I don't end up with a black eye because of it." Her smile turned into a smirk when Bardock stuck his tongue out at her.

Over the next few weeks, the twins saw to Gine and Tekka's training. It was amazing how they took to flying so easily. Sure, it was like second nature to the Z Fighters since they flew everywhere on a daily basis. Also considering the fact that the Saiyans, minus Trunks, didn't know how to drive. Piccolo and Dende didn't drive but that was more for the fact that they stayed on the lookout the majority of the time.

Gine was able to stay in the air the longest once the training was done, but while Tekka's ki didn't match up to Gine's, he did get stronger and he was faster than Gine, in the air and on the ground.

On the last day of training, a full month later, Pan smiled at her friends, "Well, it's official. You've graduated from flying school. I hope you can look back on us little people when you both take to the skies."

"We will," Gine joked. She hugged Pan tightly. "Thanks so much, Pan, for the flying lessons and for telling me about your powers."

Bardock grunted when Tekka practically threw himself at him. The brunet blubbered happily, "And thanks for training me, buddy. I know it probably wasn't what you envisioned when you thought about training for the tournament."

"It wasn't," Bardock sighed. He smiled slightly and patted his friend's head. "But it was nice spending time together without having to hide anything."

Tekka smiled and pulled away. Gine pulled away from Pan and gave Bardock a tight hug too. The male half saiyan blushed, pointedly looking away from his sister and his friend; he knew they were either going to tease him or make fun of the fact that he blushed from a mere hug from Gine.

Gine pulled away, a blush on her cheeks as well. "And thanks, Bardock. I guess I really did misjudge you. You're not so bad after all."

"Likewise," Bardock chuckled almost breathlessly. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "Well, you guys keep training. Hopefully you'll be stronger when we meet up again for the tournament."

"You betcha," Tekka grinned, putting up a peace sign. "Hey, maybe then we can finally take you two on."

"Unlikely," Both Pan and Bardock chorused.

"Right," Gine chuckled. She began floating in the air with Tekka. "We'll see you guys in a couple of months. Take care."

"You too." The twins waved to their retreating forms.

Bardock released a breath once they were out of their sight, "Now we can finally train seriously. As much as I love those guys, we really need to step up our game. The tournament isn't what we have to worry about."

Pan nodded, "You're right about that." She turned her gaze to her brother. "Are we sparring or eating?"

The two locked eyes before nodding in sync, "Eating." They raced back to their home where they could smell their mother making dinner.


	7. Gather for the Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time to get the players ready.

Chapter 7

Bardock released a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his brow. Sparring in general was one thing, but all out sparring with his dad, Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks was on a whole different level. A level he missed. The only thing that nagged at his mind was the fact that the only reason they were training this intensely was because of Majin Buu and the other massive threat he saw in his visions.

"You okay, B?" Goku asked, stretching his arms above his head. His hair was still upright and blond since he was still in his super saiyan form. All of the Saiyans, minus Bardock, had gone into their super saiyan forms; as if it was going to help them.

"I'm fine, Gramps. Never been better," Bardock nodded. He placed his hands on his knees and breathed deeply, feeling his muscles finally relax.

His body had been tense these past few months and sparring was the only thing that helped him clear his mind and relax his body. No matter how many times he got punched in the face or in the gut, he loved being able to go all out with his dad, Trunks, and his grandfather.

And hey, add Vegeta to the mix too. He wasn't all that bad once you get used to him; despite the fact that he still had the whole 'I need to defeat Goku' shtick which made him a bit more annoying than his counterpart from the past timeline.

He had trained with Pan and Gohan for a few weeks while Goku trained Goten and Vegeta trained Bra during that time. Pan knew she wasn't going to win the tournament or be able to go toe-to-toe with Buu, so she just sharpened her regular fighting moves before she took the last 2 weeks off to relax and maybe help Gine train.

His thoughts were brought back to the present when Goku grunted in his stretching and asked, "So, is there anything you can tell us about Majin Buu?"

Bardock cracked his neck as he pondered on his old enemy. "Well, when he was in his first form, he was immensely powerful and any physical hit would just rebound off of his. It kind of felt like he was made of rubber and pillows."

"That's the stupidest comparison I've ever heard," Vegeta commented with slight irritation. "You're telling me that this Buu was only strong because none of us could get a single hit on him?"

"Not necessarily. He was powerful in his own right. None of us were able to beat him in his first form but when he changed into Super Buu, though he was more powerful, it was easier to land hits on him since he wasn't a balloon."

Goku raised an eyebrow questioningly, "So all we have to do is make him transform?"

A chuckle escaped Bardock's lips. "You'll have to take a pummeling of a lifetime first before he even thinks about it." He shrugged, "I don't know how it happened last time. Piccolo from the past just told me that Grandpa Hercule had something to do with it. When I asked G-pa, he said he couldn't remember much of what happened."

Gohan ignored Vegeta's scoff of disgust and tilted his head in thought, "Maybe something happened to Hercule that brought out another side in Buu."

"That sounds like it could've happened." Trunks panted lightly and took a sip of the water in his water bottle.

"Probably," Bardock replied before he stretched out again. "Alright, let's get one more round of sparring in before dinner. The tournament's tomorrow so don't be surprised if you're beaten in a spar and in the actual tournament." He inhaled deeply and turned into a super saiyan.

Vegeta rolled his eyes though he got into his fighting stance, "As if. I'm going to show you all how much stronger I've gotten these past 7 years."

"Not that strong," Gohan muttered, smiling a bit when Bardock snorted amusedly. He got into a fighting stance as well and readied himself.

The fighting stopped an hour before dinner. Chi-Chi and Bulma scolded their husbands for trying to steal food while they stunk up Chi-Chi's house. The Saiyans quickly took showers and piled in the kitchen when the food was ready.

Everyone had a fun night, laughing and joking, but in the back of Bardock's mind, and neck, he knew that this was the last day they could have for this before they had to fight against one of the strongest beings they had ever faced.

…

Bardock gazed around with a small smile on his lips. The crowds were cheering, the participants were signing autographs, and the food stands smelled delicious. Almost everything was the same as the tournament they went to in the past except these people were celebrating the death of the androids, not the death of Cell. One thing was for certain though…

"I sure am glad I'm not dead this time," The half saiyan commented.

Had he been paying attention and listening closely, he would've heard a record being scratched somewhere. Pan winced as her parents, grandmother, and Bulma shouted at her brother in shock and a bit of anger, "You were what?!"

Bardock swallowed, his eyes wide as he sputtered, "Wha-I-I thought you knew!" He glanced at Pan nervously, "Pan, you didn't tell them?"

"It wasn't my place," Pan shrugged, only to flinch when Bardock glared at her. She waved her hands, relenting, "Okay, okay. I wanted to see their reaction when you told them. If I told them, I would've gotten yelled at again."

"You would've deserved it," Bardock grumbled. He heaved a sigh and turned back to his family, putting on a placating smile as he explained, "When I went to the past, I visited King Kai like Grandpa told me to so I could train. I did not think that Grandpa was going to bring a fat Cell there only for it to blow up King Kai's planet. That was how I died. I didn't get to come back because when they wished for everyone who had died before the Cell Games to come back to life and they didn't know I was dead."

Trunks shook his head exasperatedly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Goku, why?" He held up his hand when Goku stared at him confusedly. "Not you." The rest of group began walking again though he stayed behind with Bardock, Pan, Videl, and Gohan. "If Cell had hit me closer to the heart, maybe they would've changed the wish to everyone who Cell killed."

Bardock dropped his head back with a groan, following the rest of the group, "If only. Maybe then I could've spent some more time with Goten and seen Dad grow up like Pan did."

A hue of pink came onto Gohan's cheeks. He shook his head, "I don't like to think about that. It must've been awkward."

"It was," Pan responded bluntly. "From 11 to 18, Dad. I'm so glad I didn't have to see that with Bardock. I would've had war flashbacks."

Once they got to the entrance, they were surprised to see Hercule waiting for them by the sign-in booth. The champ laughed boisterously and rushed over to his daughter. He gave her a big hug before turning to the camera crew that followed him. "This right here is my daughter Videl and her husband Gohan. Next to them are my grandkids; Bardock and Pan. They obviously came to see their grandpa win. Right, kids? Say hi to the folks at home!"

The twins waved awkwardly while Gohan tried to walk away. Videl gave a sigh though a small smile tugged at her lips, "Dad, come on. Let the kids and Gohan sign in before the cameras hound them."

"Oh, alright," Hercule said, slumping his shoulders. He then perked up once more, "Now, let me show you what my finishing move is going to be…"

A sigh of relief left the Son family once they walked away. After they signed in, they walked over to where the contestants and the spectators met their end together before they had to go on different roads.

The Son family exchanged hugs with everyone while Vegeta and Piccolo continued to walk towards the dressing rooms. Videl hugged her kids tightly, inhaling deeply as if she was trying to memorize their scent.

Bardock chuckled lightly, patting his mother's back, "Come on, Mom. We're not gonna be that far from you."

"I know, I know," Videl sniffled as she pulled away. She placed her hands on their cheeks, her blue eyes shiny with unshed tears. "It's just that after this, it's going to be a rollercoaster that we didn't sign up for."

An exhale. "Yeah, I know what you mean," Bardock replied. He gave his mother one last hug for good measure. "Okay. Once everything settles for a bit, I'll see you guys on the lookout, alright?" He pulled away and waved to the rest of the gang that wasn't participating.

Once he fell in step with Pan, he could hear Krillin's conversation with Goku and Yamcha. "…so, Tien and Chiaotzu aren't competing?" Goku asked, scratching his head.

Yamcha shook his head, crossing his arms, "Nope. I tried to persuade them, saying it would be like old time sakes, but Tien had to be a downer and say that the last time we were all together, we died by the androids and this time wouldn't be any better."

Krillin shuddered at the thought, "Hey, Goku, you guys will take care of this big bad Buu guy, right? I mean, I'll help if you need it, but you pretty much have everything set, yeah?"

Goku barked a laugh, patting Krillin's back a bit roughly since the man still didn't know his own strength, "Oh, don't worry, Krillin. I'm sure this thing will all blow over in a couple of days. Besides, we have Bardock here and he beat Majin Buu in the past." He sent a wink to his grandson when he caught his eye.

"Don't put everyone's faith in only me, Grandpa," Bardock hissed behind his grin. He turned away from the adults and rolled his eyes to himself, "Let's just hope this timeline doesn't turn out to have some kind of sick twist to it."


	8. Qualifying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hercule saved them a lot of trouble.

Chapter 8

"Bardock!" A loud voice echoed through the men's changing room, much to Vegeta's and Piccolo's annoyance.

Bardock paused in changing and held out his arms as Tekka jumped into them. He patted his friend's back once before removing him from his shoulders. He grinned slightly, "Hey, Tek. You ready for the tournament?"

"You bet," Tekka chuckled. He did some light punches. "I've been training every day since our flying lessons ended, so I'm in tip top shape."

"Right, right," Bardock nodded. He turned to his friends and family. He gestured to Tekka as he addressed them, "Guys, this is my best friend Tekka. Tekka, these guys are only parts of my family. There's my grandpa Goku, my uncle Goten, my mentor Trunks Briefs, my dad's mentor Mr. Piccolo, my grandpa's best buddy and Trunks' dad Vegeta, my dad's other friends Yamcha and Krillin."

Tekka bowed with a wide smile, "It's nice to meet you all. Bardock has told me so much about you. Trust me when I tell you that I am so looking forward to this tournament."

Goku waved with a grin, "Nice to meet you too, Tekka. I'm glad Bardock is making friends in high school."

"Looks like he's the only one," Vegeta muttered. He winced when Bardock threw his shoe at the back of his head.

"Can you guys teleport and fly too?" Tekka asked innocently.

Bardock closed his eyes, ignoring Vegeta and Piccolo's glares, "We can all fly, but, other than me, my grandpa is the only one who can teleport. He's the one who taught me." He tried to mentally tell them that those were the only powers Tekka knew about. However, he knew that by the end of the day, Tekka and Gine were going to know everything.

Going back to changing, Bardock put on his orange top over his blue one and tucked it into his orange gi pants. He tightened his blue belt and moved onto his shoes. Once those were on, he grabbed a red cloth and tied it to his forehead.

Trunks smiled at the headband after he finished changing, "Man, I haven't seen you wear that thing in a long while."

Bardock grinned back and touched the cloth, feeling nostalgia at the sight of it, "Yeah. I've missed it."

Once everyone finished changing, they walked out and met Pan and Gine outside. They then made their way to the qualifying area. Bardock only hoped they didn't have the stupid punching machine like last time. Hercule wasn't as strong as his past counterpart, who wasn't that strong to begin with, and Bardock was a bit stronger than anyone liked to admit, so taking on something so meager wouldn't probably lead to another Vegeta incident.

One of the workers walked up to them with a polite smile, "Are you the family and friends with Mr. Satan?"

"Uh yes…" Gohan answered confusedly.

"Friends is a stretch," Vegeta commented.

The worker paid no mind to the short Saiyan. "Mr. Satan has paid for your qualifications, so your places are secured." He glanced at the young humans. "Unfortunately, your friends will have to take the qualifier."

When he was out of earshot, both Bardock and Pan let out twin sighs of relief. "Thank Kami," Bardock breathed deeply. He glanced over at the front and found the punching machine being wheeled out with Hercule following. He leaned down towards his sister, whispering, "Do you think Mom told him anything?"

"It's more than likely," Pan hissed back. "But thank Kami. I did not want to have Vegeta destroy another one again."

"What are you two whispering about?" Gine raised a questioning eyebrow while Tekka nodded behind her.

Bardock waved his hand and turned to the adults. "It's nothing. Why don't you get to the stage? They should be starting the junior division soon. We'll wait here with Tekka and Gine."

Goku pouted as he followed the others, "I kind of wanted to do the qualifying thing. It looks fun." He looked at the punching machine and tilted his head curiously, "What are we supposed to do with it?"

"Punch it, Dad," Gohan answered with an amused smile.

"Hercule probably knew we'd have a higher score," Trunks mused before they were out of earshot.

Pan shook her head and walked towards Gine, only to stop in her tracks when she saw Gine and Bardock standing next to each other, having a civil conversation. That still took some getting used to.

While her grandfather started the qualifier by punching the machine, getting a 119 which was lower than what he got in the past timeline, she walked over to Tekka who kept bouncing on his toes and fidgeting with his fingers anxiously. She held in a smirk as she spoke up, "You have your morning coffee yet?"

Tekka huffed a weak chuckle, his movements ceasing, "Bardock says the same thing when we have to take a test." He lifted his hand and scratched his head, a sad smile on his lips. "I just always need to have some kind of movement. When those monsters were around, I always had to be moving. I couldn't stay in one spot for too long or they'd find me."

Pan shook her head, placing her hand on his arm to comfort him, "It's fine. I was kind of the same way. I always wanted to do something to help others but I kept falling short. Helping people running away was the only thing I was good at."

"That's not true." Tekka's smile became sincere. "Pan, I'm sure you've done more than just run away. Heck, you've probably inspired people who thought nothing good would ever happen to them." He nudged her shoulder with his fist. "Don't sell yourself short, Pan. Even if you don't believe in yourself, many other people do."

"Like you?" Pan asked jokingly, paying no notice to the blush creeping on her cheeks.

Tekka grinned brightly, "Of course like me. I'm your number one fan." He then tilted his head thoughtfully, "Well, maybe after Gine and Bardock."

Before they could continue, the two heard Tekka's number being called. He smiled at Pan and gave her a wave before rushing over to the punching machine. She watched as he planted his feet firmly before throwing a hard punch, getting a 110. Since it was so close to Hercule's, she knew he was more than likely getting a spot on the roster.

Bardock clapped when he saw Tekka's score. "I knew he had it in him." He crossed his arms and turned to his friend with a small grin, "You better keep up with him or you might fall behind. You never know who you're gonna go up against."

Gine smiled amusedly, "Please. Training was the only thing I could do over these past couple of months." She shrugged, "As long as I don't get any of your family, I'll be fine."

"What if you get me?"

Her smile turned into a mischievous grin. "Please. If I get you, it doesn't matter if you're strong than me. I know you'll fold like a lawn chair."

The half Saiyan smiled despite the twitch in his eyebrow, "I'd be offended, but my mother always told me to be courteous no matter what Vegeta says."

"He seems like someone you have to really get to know to like him."

"He is," Bardock replied. He then grinned when Gine's number was called. He bowed out of the way jokingly as she passed him.

Gine walked up to the machine and stared at it for a beat before pulling her arm back and shoving her fist into the machine, getting a 115 and cementing her place on the roster. Her friends clapped for her when she walked back.

"Should we get going now?" Pan suggested. As they started walking towards the stage where the junior division was well on its way, she leaned towards her brother and whispered, "I don't know if it's going to be like the past, but if it is, I'm really looking forward to this fight."

Bardock nodded eagerly, "Me too. Bra isn't much different from past Trunks in attitude, but when it comes to fighting, the two can't be anymore different."


	9. The Drawing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is fighting who?

Chapter 9

"Hey guys," Goku greeted with a smile when the teens approached. "How'd the qualifying thing go? Did you make it in?"

Bardock waved and took a stand next to him, "Hey, Grandpa." He pointed to Gine and Tekka who were a few feet behind him. "Tekka and Gine both got in. We didn't stay long enough to see who else got in too."

"Well, there shouldn't be much spots left," Trunks commented, his eyes on the tournament stage where two kids were desperately trying not to hit each other. "Whoever gets in probably won't be as strong as your friends."

"How are matches coming along?" Pan asked, smiling slightly when one kid felt sorry and gave up when the other started crying. "Have Bra or Goten gone yet?"

Krillin chuckled, scratching his nose, "Goten won his first match by barely touching the kid with his fist. The other kid was knocked out in a second."

Yamcha laughed with his friend, "Bra kicked a kid between his legs and he was out like a light though he did earn a lot of sympathy points."

Bardock grimaced, "Bra's brutal."

"She makes a father proud," Vegeta grunted with a smirk.

Trunks rolled his eyes and pushed away Gohan, Bardock, and Pan's teasing hands. He was fine. He spent the first four years being a bit jealous of Bra but the life she had was the life that he and the others fought for. So while he could get irked that Vegeta never expressed any kind of positive emotion regarding him and his accomplishments, he was happy that Bra never had to go through what he did. He knew Gohan felt the same for Goten as well.

After the last match, the semifinals had now started. The group started clapping when they saw Goten get on the stage, getting ready for his third fight.

His opponent was a scrawny kid who looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. No one could fault him for that since Goten did take down his previous opponents with barely a flick of his finger. Actually, he did defeat his second opponent with just a flick of his finger so the kid's fears were justified.

"Go Goten!" Goku cheered.

"Atta boy, Goten!" Gohan shouted with his hands cupped over his mouth. "Remember your training, Bro!"

"You got this, Goten!" Pan and Bardock yelled their encouragement for their uncle.

Tekka grinned, nudging Bardock, "I love this family support." He glanced down at the stage and winced when the scrawny kid flew off the stage. "Seems like he didn't need that much of it though."

"I'm sure the other kid is fine," Bardock said, pointedly ignoring the fact that the kid could barely stand up. When the next two fighters came up, he grabbed Pan's arm excitedly, the two bouncing on their feet.

Trunks clapped, smiling, "Alright, Bra! Win this one and you go to the finals to fight Goten!"

Vegeta smacked his son on the back of his head. "Of course she's going to win this. She is my daughter after all."

"Right," Trunks, Bardock, and Pan muttered, going back to watching the fight.

Like before, it wasn't much of a fight. Bra basically grabbed the kid's ear and walked him over to the edge of stage before throwing him off. The crowd was a little shocked. The loudest in the crowd, however, was obviously Bulma. She was acting pretty much the same she did in the past timeline which was still amusing.

After the match, the workers escorted Bra and the defeated kid back to the waiting room so they could announce the last match. The crowd was cheering but Bardock could tell they were thirsty for a good match. And they were going to get one soon.

Krillin rubbed his hands together eagerly when Goten and Bra stepped out. "Now it's getting interesting."

"I can't wait to see this," Yamcha stated with a laugh.

Bardock leaned towards his sister, whispering so their friends wouldn't hear, "Who do you think is gonna win this time?"

"I think I'll put my money on Goten this time. He is our uncle after all."

"That's what you said you were gonna do last time and he still lost." Bardock turned back to the stage and shrugged, "Well, let's see what's in store for this timeline." Maybe Goten could win this time.

The two six year olds walked onto the stage as the stage man announced this as the final match and that whoever won would go against Hercule and would win 5 million zeni. The adult fighters could hear Chi-Chi screaming for Goten to win no matter because they needed that money. It really put the pressure on the kids.

When the match started, Goten and Bra dropped into the same fighting stances their fathers used. A beat later, they flew at each other, throwing punches and kicks. Everyone watched as the two battled it out. Like in the last timeline, this was the best match in the junior division.

It wasn't long before the two continued the fight in the sky. The audience had their jaws on the ground as they numbly followed the kids with their eyes.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Goku cheered, pumping his fist. "Oh man, this is what I call a fight."

"Come on, guys! You can do it!" Krillin shouted enthusiastically.

Vegeta chuckled with a smirk, "Looks like Bra is getting the upper hand."

Back on the stage, Bra and Goten flew away before charging at each other again. Goten punched Bra in the stomach. She retaliated by throwing a hard punch to his face. She blocked his knee and flipped over him. He used that distraction and elbowed her in the back.

When they were face-to-face once more, they flew at each other and took to the skies once again. Goten tried to get Bra in a headlock but Bra was too quick. She sent a small ki blast to his abdomen and flew back to the stage with Goten hot on her heels.

"So Goten is stronger but Bra is quicker," Gine observed. "She can certainly think faster than Goten, that's for sure."

Tekka frowned slightly in sympathy, "I kinda feel bad for the little guy. If he keeps giving her enough time to think because he's too busy trying to plan his next attack, he's gonna lose for sure."

The twins glanced at each other and nodded, "Déjà vu."

Everyone watched as the two kids paused their fighting and instead were having some kind of conversation. The crowd was growing restless. They were giddy with excitement yet their nerves were shot from their anticipation and anxiety on wondering how this fight would end and who would win.

When the conversation ended, the Saiyans, minus Vegeta, Yamcha, and Krillin almost died of heart attacks from seeing both child half Saiyans turn into Super Saiyans in front of millions of people.

"Th-they're gold fighters," Tekka croaked in shock.

"No way," Gine gaped.

Bardock gripped his shirt tightly, his head lying on the railing. "I'm going to kill them."

"I'll help," Pan responded. Trunks nodded in agreement and ran a shaky hand through his purple locks.

Goku laughed nervously, "Well, isn't this a shock? I never knew Goten could turn into a Super Saiyan."

"They grow up so fast," Krillin mumbled, still not over the mini heart attack he had.

"Can't say I didn't see it coming," Vegeta smirked smugly.

Goten and Bra flew at each other again. Once they were close enough, they threw a hard, powerful punch to the other's face. A flash of light blinded the humans briefly. When it died down, the two were thrown to the opposite ends of the stage.

It came as a surprise to everyone when Bra fell over the edge. Goten, taking a harsh punch as well, stopped right at the edge of the stage, winning the match.

There was a pause in the crowd before they burst into roars, cheering Goten on. The two young half Saiyans were out of their Super Saiyan forms. The announcer stepped up to the barely conscious Goten. He lifted Goten's arm in the air and declared him the winner of the junior division tournament. The Sons and Piccolo flinched at Chi-Chi's excited shrieks.

"Great match, you two!" Goku clapped for the kids.

Bardock stretched his arms over his head and exhaled, "Okay, now it's time we get something to eat. The drawing will start in an hour and I haven't eaten all day."

Goku grinned and put his arm around his grandson, "I'm with you there. Let's go before they run out of food."

"It's a buffet, Dad. I doubt they'll run out." A beat. "But they might run out of the good food so let's hurry."

"Right behind ya!"

The group soon made it to the buffet spot, though they had to wait a few minutes since the younger humans had a hard time keeping up with the hungry Saiyans, the workers, under Hercule's orders, got out all the food they prepared and watched in awe as the Saiyans tore through each meal.

"Don't worry," Piccolo grunted in disgust as he, Gine, and Tekka watched the Saiyans eat, food flying everywhere and plates stacking up by the minute. "You never get used to this."

Yamcha nodded with the same grimace, "Years and years will pass and it'll still feel like you're about to throw up every time they eat. I don't know how their wives do it."

"At this point in time, I think they like seeing them eat so much," Krillin muttered, simply moving his food around on the plate.

Tekka smiled uneasily, "It would be too weird to get used to this." Gine nodded in agreement.

"We know," The non Saiyans chorused dully.

They moved out of the way when Goku lifted one of his plates in the air, shouting with a mouth full of food, "More noodles please!"

"Kakarot, you're spitting food everywhere!"

"So are you!"

Bardock took his time swallowing his food before saying, "We're gonna need more chicken too!"

By the time they were finished, the buffet was on its last legs of food. The workers sighed in relief when they saw the Saiyans stand up and stretch, indicating that they were now full. The fighters thanked the workers before making their leave.

Gohan stretched his arms over his head with a sigh, "We should get to the adult division now so we can draw our numbers."

"I hope I don't have to fight any of you guys in the first round," Krillin laughed. "The last time I fought Gohan, I thought I was gonna have brain damage."

"I only punched you once."

"It was a pretty hard punch. I can attest to that," Yamcha grinned.

Bardock chuckled with the others before a sharp sting on the back of his neck gave him pause. He unconsciously rubbed the scar residing there while his eyes moved forward, finding a familiar mohawk and pink face.

Apparently everyone else saw them as well and they didn't take to kindly to them.

"Those guys are giving me chills," Piccolo said lowly. "What do you think, Goku?"

Goku frowned slightly as he regarded the two, "I've never felt their kind of aura before. It doesn't seem right." He blinked in surprise when he saw Pan and Bardock make their way over to the two.

Bardock bowed respectfully, keeping his voice low so Piccolo and the Saiyans couldn't hear, "Nice to meet you in this timeline, Shin. I assume your past counterpart told you all that happened?"

"He gave me a brief summary but told me to be cautious of what is still to come," Shin answered with a smile. "It is nice to meet the two of you. When I heard about what happened in the past, I must admit I was shocked to hear that the two of you defeated such a monster."

"Past you gave us a hard time but we were able to manage it," Bardock stated. "This timeline isn't going to be like the last one. There are many things that I saw happening differently, not to mention the fact that everyone is at least 10 years older than what they were back then."

"We're gonna have to keep an eye out," Pan added.

Shin nodded, "Of course. Well, if you two don't mind, we'll be on our way to the drawing." He and Kibito bowed before taking their leave.

The rest of the group walked over to them. Goku spoke up once the two new members were out of earshot, "Who were they? Do you know them?"

"You must know them from the past, right?" Piccolo questioned.

Bardock nodded, "Of course. They were the two that set us on the path towards our enemy. They're on our side. That's all you have to worry about." He waved to them as he started waking forward. "Come on. Let's get to the drawing."

Though those who had not gone to the past were still full of questions, they decided to table it for later and follow the half Saiyan.

Once they got there, Goku, Krillin, Piccolo, and Yamcha were almost ambushed by the announcer who they recognized from their younger days. After a brief fangirling, the blond man gave them instructions to draw their number when he called their name.

Bardock glanced around and found the two fighters who were taking Spopovich and Yamu's places. He gripped the back of his neck when it flared up in pain. The two were younger than the men they replaced. They looked like high schoolers who had just barely hit puberty and their power levels weren't much but compared to Tekka's, they could slaughter him with just their pinkies.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the announcer called the first name, "Son Pan."

Pan blinked before stepping forward. She reached her hand into the small box and rifled around before pulling out a number. "12."

"And Son Pan is number 12." The crowd on the other side cheered. "Next is Kibito."

Kibito walked forward and put his hand in the box. He pulled out his number and showed it to the announcer. "7."

"Kibito is number 7!" Kibito walked back to Shin. "Krillin, please step forward."

Krillin huffed out a jittery breath as he walked up to the box. He closed his eyes tightly and put his hand in the box. When he pulled out the number, he blanched, "1."

"Next up for the drawing is Son Gohan."

Gohan nodded and walked over. He put his hand in and pulled out his number with relative ease. "I'm number 14." He glanced at the board and noticed no one's name was next to his. He could only hope he didn't go against Bardock in the first round.

"And now we have Trunks Briefs."

The purple haired fighter made his way to the box. He put his hand in and pulled out the small ball, saying, "I've got 8." He smirked slightly at Bardock, "Looks like I'm going against one of your friends."

"Shin's up next."

"Ready," Shin said as he walked up. He pulled out his number. "I'm number 4."

"Next in line we have Pinich."

"Pinich?" Bardock muttered when one of Babidi's henchmen walked over to the box.

Tekka suddenly grinned as he stared at Pinich's broad back, "Hey, I know him! We used to go to school together when we were kids." He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, "I thought he had disappeared when the cyborgs attacked, but I guess not. He looks really different now. I guess he really did get into martial arts like he said he was."

At Bardock's stare, he patted his shoulder in reassurance, "Don't worry, B. You're still my best friend."

The announcer pulled his glasses down as he checked out Pinich's number. "Oh, you're number 5." As they wrote the number down, he glanced at the clipboard and read, "Next up is Son Bardock."

Bardock exhaled lightly before he walked over. He put his hand in the box and took the ball out, presenting it to the workers. "16." Again.

"Son Bardock is number 16," The announcer said. "Goku, your turn now."

Goku grinned, giving one last stretch before making his way towards them. He put his hand in and brought out the ball.

"It's number 9," The announcer smiled. "Next up is Gine."

"Finally," Gine sighed heavily, putting a hand to her chest. She walked over and put her hand in the box, bringing out the ball. "Number 10."

The Z-Fighters gave a spit take despite the fact that they weren't drinking a thing. Pan shook her head vigorously, Bardock heaved, letting his hands rest on his knees, while Goku pouted at not getting a stronger opponent.

Tekka blinked, "Is it that bad?"

"Yamcha, you're up."

Still reeling from shock, Yamcha walked over to the box. He pulled the ball out with shaky hands.

"Yamcha's number 2."

That righted the Z-Fighters. "See, that makes sense," Vegeta stated.

"Vegeta, you're next."

The Saiyan prince smirked and walked over. He smirked when he saw his number and showed the others the number 13.

Bardock gagged while Pan shuddered, "At least he didn't get Grandpa."

"Great," Gohan muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Goku patted his son's back. "Good luck, Gohan."

"Tekka, it's your turn."

At that, Tekka fist pumped before making his way over. He blinked in surprise at the number in his hand. "Number 6."

Bardock moved his gaze to the board and felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Oh, crap baskets."

"Majunior is up next." Piccolo went up and chose his number. The announcer nodded with a smile, "You're number 3."

Piccolo huffed once he was back with his group, "Let's see if Bardock's friend is worth anything."

The announcer spoke up, "Mr. Satan is taking a bit of relaxation right now, so I will draw for him." He took out a number and smiled, "Our champion is number 11."

That sent the Z-Fighters into hysterics. Bardock patted his sister's shoulder, his giggles interrupting his speech, "O-oh, go easy on him, Sis."

"Last but not least is Cabba." The other henchman walked over to the box and chose a number. "Safe to say that's 15."

Bardock's laughter faded as he gazed at his opponent, his scar tingling. He knew he didn't have to worry about him since the tournament would stop after Trunks and Kibito's match for them, but he still needed to be on guard.

The announcer nodded in satisfaction, "There. We have a full board of fighters."

"In the first match, we have Krillin fighting Yamcha."

"Second match is Majunior vs. Shin."

"The third match we have Pinich and Tekka."

"Fourth match is Kibito and Trunks Briefs."

"Match five is Son Goku and Gine."

"The sixth match is Hercule Satan vs. Son Pan."

"The seventh match is Vegeta against Son Gohan."

"And the eighth match is Cabba vs. Son Bardock."

The announcer walked towards the stage, speaking into his mic, "The fighting will commence immediately. I will quickly show you all to the waiting room and I'm sure you know the fighting rules. You are the loser if you give up, if I count to ten, if you fall out of the ring, or if you, unfortunately, kill your competitor. Each match has a time limit of 30 minutes and not a second more. If there is no victor in that time then that decision will be left up to the judges."

"Just like old times," Yamcha grinned, cracking his knuckles. "You ready to get your butt whooped, Krillin?"

Krillin laughed haughtily, "I'd love to see you try."


	10. Matches 1 & 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was only the first two matches before everything would go down.

Chapter 10

Goku grinned as they stood inside the waiting room, "I can't wait to see Krillin and Yamcha go at it. It's been years since I've seen them fight seriously."

"It'll be a sight to see," Piccolo muttered, a bead of sweat dripping down his face. The twins who traveled to the past realized that he was most likely going through the same mental hurdles in trying to find out who Shin really was.

"I've only ever seen them fight seriously when it was Cell, and even then you couldn't really call it a fight," Trunks stated. "When it came to the androids, the only one dumb enough to take them head on was my father."

"Oh shut up," Vegeta grunted.

Tekka turned towards his friends, tilting his head curiously, "Is this first round really a big deal?"

Bardock shrugged with a small smile, "Well, Grandpa has known Yamcha and Krillin since he was a kid, and he hasn't really seen them in an even matched fight in years, so yeah, I guess it is kind of a big deal."

The crackling of the announcer's mic brought their attention back to the stage. " _Let's get Krillin and Yamcha out to the ring!_ "

"Break a leg, guys," Goku joked, grinning when Krillin laughed while Yamcha gave him an almost pouting glare.

As the two fighters walked to the stage, the blond announcer spoke into the mic, " _It's been a long time since we've seen these fighters in the ring, but we are just as excited as they are to witness it. They are both accomplished fighters and longtime friends. Today, we will see who will come out on top and make it to the next round._ "

The crowd began cheering wildly when they saw Krillin and Yamcha stand opposite each other. " _Let the match begin!_ "

The Z-Fighters, minus Vegeta, watched eagerly as the two charged at each other, throwing fists and kicks at one another. It was amazing to see two human fighters, once known as the strongest humans on earth before their deaths at the hands of the androids, duke it out with everything they had, not having to worry about saiyans coming in and taking them down with only a flick of their hand.

They watched as Krillin and Yamcha's arms twitched when they stepped away from each other. While the rule for no ki blasts didn't help them in the past timeline, it was certainly sticking this time since blasts would only remind the audience of the androids.

"Come on, guys. You can do it!" Goku cheered for both his friends. "I'm rooting for the both of you!"

The crowd was going wild at seeing a real fight right off the bat. Bardock clapped with his family and shouted out tips when either Yamcha or Krillin was getting close to losing.

"It seems like an impressive match."

Bardock turned and smiled slightly at Shin and Kibito, "It's something we haven't seen in a while."

He stepped away from his friends were watching the match and moved towards the other two. Once they were towards the back of the waiting room, he began talking, "You're probably wondering how these next few matches are gonna pan out."

Shin gave a small smile, "I know you have seen what is to happen. I only wonder if you will let it happen."

A deep sigh escaped the half saiyan's mouth as he rubbed the back of his neck, "When I was in the past timeline, I had seen what was going to happen, but it happened 7 years later and it grew a bit fuzzy. I couldn't do anything because I didn't know what was going on."

"But you do know what is to come this time. Do you believe that not doing anything and letting your visions come true is better than interfering?"

"I'd hate to see Tekka get brutally beaten and for Trunks to go through what my dad did, but we have to find out where Babidi is."

"I do believe he moved locations after the androids leveled the world."

Bardock nodded thoughtfully, "It would explain why I haven't felt Babidi's ki since coming back." He glanced at Pinich and Cabba in the corner of the room. "At least we know who to follow when the time comes."

The crowd bursting into deafening cheers interrupted the conversation. " _Out of the ring! Yamcha has landed out of the ring which means Krillin is the winner!_ "

Goku grinned as his friends walked back into the waiting room, their faces and arms scratched and bruised while their gis were slightly torn, "Nice going, Krillin. You did great too, Yamcha."

"Thanks, Goku," Yamcha grunted, leaning on one of the walls where he slowly slid down to sit on the floor.

Krillin laughed, patting his friend's shoulder, "Oh man, I can't wait to see what Tien and Chiaotzu have to say about this."

" _It's time for the second match! Let's hope we can get another colossal brawl! We have Majunior vs. Shin!_ "

Piccolo and Shin walked out of the waiting room and to the stage. Shin gave the Namekian a smooth smile, "This will be an interesting match, right, Piccolo?"

Bardock shared a secret grin with Pan when they saw Piccolo stiffen and stare at Shin with wide, shocked eyes.

" _This is the first year Shin has participated in the tournament! We may not know much about him but he is obviously a strong fighter if he's here today! That may spell trouble for our other fighter, Majunior. In his fight with Son Goku, he nearly destroyed the entire arena, so you know this fight isn't going to disappoint._ "

"I wonder what's going on with Piccolo," Krillin said. "I doubt the guy is that bad if the twins know him."

"Piccolo just gets jittery when he finds out something big," Pan replied jokingly.

" _Let the second match begin!_ "

The staring contest between the two fighters made the crowd's cheering cease as they watched the two stand completely still on the stage. Bardock couldn't hear Shin in his head this time and he didn't need to; his scar wasn't burning and he knew Shin was just letting Piccolo know who he was.

Piccolo shook his head suddenly, "I'm sorry. I can't." The crowd gasped at that.

"He's quitting?" Gohan raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Does this mean your forfeiting?" The announcer asked.

"Yes." With that, Piccolo walked off the stage.

The announcer shrugged before speaking into the mic, " _Well, you heard it here, folks. Majunior has withdrawn from the match which means Shin is the winner. He will be going up against Krillin in the second round of fighting._ "

Gohan turned to his children once Piccolo got back to the waiting room. "I assume this Shin guy is pretty important."

"He's important to what's going to happen, Dad. Everything else isn't really important," Bardock said, knowing that was a huge understatement.

" _Alright! Let's start the third match! It's Tekka vs. Pinich!_ "

Bardock's scar began to burn intensely. A pained hiss left his lips when Pinich stepped too close. He swallowed back his pain and walked over to his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder. He put on a smile for Tekka when he gazed at him, "Hey, there's no shame in quitting, alright?"

"Well that's not very encouraging," Tekka frowned.

Bardock sighed heavily, "I know, but I'm trying to look out for you. If at any point in time you feel like you can't win the match, just forfeit. No one will be disappointed."

Tekka looked like he had wanted to object but he nodded slowly instead, "Yeah, okay."

"Good luck, Tekka," Pan smiled.

"Kick his ass," Gine joked.

"You got it," Tekka grinned and followed his opponent out of the waiting room.

The announcer spoke as the two stepped onto the ring, " _This is Pinich's and Tekka's first fight in a tournament. We are excited to see these two boys today. Rumor has it that they were childhood friends back when the androids roamed the earth and today, they will show the other how they've grown._ "

A sharp spike of pain in his scar made Bardock wince. He gripped the back of his neck, feeling his heart give a painful jolt as well, "Damn it."


	11. The Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tekka vs. Pinich. Trunks vs. Kibito. Let the past repeat in the future.

Chapter 11

Bardock paced inside the waiting room, anxiously biting on his thumbnail as Tekka and Pinich waited for the announcer to start the match. He had given Tekka a way out, had told him to give up if the match got to be too much, but he knew his friend would take it the wrong way since he was the weakest out of their friends group.

And if he had forfeited on just Bardock's words, how would the half saiyan explain himself? ' _Oh, why did I make you quit? Well, you're taking my mother's place in this tournament and she almost lost her life because she was too stubborn to quit and because the man who was fighting her was stronger than any other human since he was working for a powerful wizard who wanted to kill us all. How do I know all of that? It's because I went to the past when I was 11 years old with Pan and had to watch my mother get beaten with my own eyes._ '

Like that would go over well with anyone, especially his best friend. He already felt bad enough that he never told his parents that he had known everything that happened at the tournament before everything happened, but even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have been able to stop it.

At the time, he hadn't known Spopovich and Yamu were working with Babidi but he did know they were going to attack his parents separately. It hurt him to know and it hurt him even more to hold back. Pinich, Tekka's childhood friend, and Cabba, his opponent, were working for Babidi now and he knew that. However, he couldn't say anything to anyone other than Shin, Kibito, and Pan. He feared that Pan would hate the fact that he knew what was coming and didn't say anything again.

The Supreme Kai had reassured him, telling him not to interfere with the fate of his visions, but the whole reason he went to the past was so Buu wouldn't kill his friends and his family, and while he succeeded on that front, he still wasn't strong enough to save Vegeta or the rest of the world.

His visions were immensely different from the ones he had about the past, but he had to make sure that Buu didn't kill the entire population again. That was truly his main concern, but he was still anxious about Tekka's match because he knew that his friend was going to be fighting for his life by the time this was over.

"Fighting an internal battle?" Gine's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

Bardock frowned, lowering his hand from his face, "I guess you could say that." He turned to the stage where his friend and his opponent were now just staring each other down after the announcer started the match. "I'm just a bit worried."

In his peripherals, he could see Piccolo conversing with Shin. He didn't need to interrupt that conversation to know what was going to be revealed.

Gine took his attention again by patting his arm. "Tekka will be fine. He might not be that strong but he's a mischievous kind of guy. Besides, he knows how to fly now. He's got the advantage here."

The half saiyan said nothing about how his mother had the same advantage and still ended up losing. She had no idea Pinich was more powerful than the average human and he couldn't voice why.

When his eyes unfocused yet again, Pan took notice and walked over. She gave her friend a small smile, "You mind if I talk to my brother?" Gine gave a nod and walked over to the entrance of the waiting room. She nudged her brother. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Bardock mumbled, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "How's he doing out there?"

"As well as any human can," Pan replied. "Any reason you're in such a mood about this match? I understand Tekka isn't that strong but it's a bit sad you don't have a little more faith in him."

"It doesn't take a genius to know that guy and Cabba are working for Babidi," Bardock said, taking his hand away from his neck. He put his finger to his forehead and made an M.

Pan clenched her fists in her anger. "So you knew he was taking Mom's place."

"I did," Bardock responded tightly. "I told him to quit if the going got tough, but I couldn't tell him the going was gonna get tough the minute he stepped onto that stage."

They were interrupted when the announcer spoke enthusiastically into the mic, " _Look at that, folks! Tekka has knocked Pinich down! Let's start the countdown._ " Before he could even open his mouth, Pinich easily flipped back onto his feet. " _Or not…_ "

Pinich charged at Tekka who tried to be light on his feet, dodging whatever punch and kick the other male threw at him.

Tekka then jumped into the air and slammed his knee into Pinich's head. Pinich growled and slammed his fist into Tekka's abdomen, knocking the air out of him. He then threw him to the ground where he skidded to the other side of the ring.

" _It seems like Pinich has caught a second wind. Can Tekka get back up and win this match?_ "

Bardock shook his head, biting his lip, "Stay down, Tek."

Pinich walked over to where Tekka was struggling to get up. He lifted his foot, aiming for his head, and slammed it down. Everyone gasped in surprise when Tekka moved himself out of the way and swept his legs, sending his opponent to the ground.

" _And Pinich is down again! Tekka is showing a great prowess. It seems like he may very well win this match!_ "

"Nice one!" Krillin clapped his hands. He turned to Bardock, grinning, "Looks like your friend ain't half bad."

"I did train him," Bardock commented absentmindedly.

To the audience's surprise, Pinich stood up again, not looking winded in the slightest even as he wiped the dirt off his cheek.

The announcer laughed, " _Well, folks, it looks like Pinich isn't going down without a fight!_ "

Bardock flinched when he felt Pinich's ki flare harshly. He could feel the darkness intertwined with it. It had the mark of Babidi, alright. There was no way Tekka was going to survive these barrages of punches coming at him.

"Oh no," Goku mumbled worriedly. The half saiyan could tell the rest of the Z fighters felt the spike in the dark ki.

With his higher power, Pinich grinned sadistically and slammed his fist into Tekka's face, sending him towards the edge of the ring again. Tekka grunted, feeling the harsh pain flaring in his face.

His eyes widened when he felt a falling sensation in his stomach. Gritting his teeth, he focused everything on his ki. He sighed in relief when he heard the gasps around him. He succeeded in floating. Now he just had to win this match. He then shot off into the air above the ring.

" _And it seems that Tekka is floating! He's doing everything he can to win this match!_ "

Bardock shook his head, "Come on, Tekka. Just give up." Next to him, Gine looked on numbly while Pan was biting her lip so hard her teeth almost poked in.

Pinich sneered and flew into the air. He caught Tekka's arm and threw him towards the ring. Tekka hit the ground roughly. Pinich flew back down towards the ring. He grabbed Tekka's head and smashed it into the tiles. He then lifted him up and wrapped his hand around his neck, squeezing tightly.

Tekka wheezed desperately as he clawed at his hands, "H-hey, P. I-it's me, Tekka. Don't you remember?"

"I remember," Pinich chuckled darkly, tightening his grip.

The announcer gulped fearfully, " _Pinich, son, you have to let go of Tekka or else you will be disqualified._ " He yelped when Pinich sent a ki blast his way.

Bardock shook with rage as he watched Tekka's hand go limp around Pinich's arms. He couldn't do anything to stop him. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white and his nails biting into his palms, almost drawing blood. His mind was racing so fast that he didn't even notice the surge in Pan's ki.

 _Stop it now!_ His mind shouted at him when he felt Tekka's ki begin to sputter out.

"Pinich!" Cabba shouted as he floated near the ring. He frowned at his comrade disappointedly, "We're here for an important mission, not to settle one of your grudges. Drop him and be done with it."

With a snarl, Pinich did as he was told. He threw Tekka out of the ring where he landed on the grass, unmoving and almost lifeless.

" _Tekka is out of the ring. Pinich moves onto the next match,_ " The announcer said nervously, his hands shaking as they held the mic.

Tekka's friends ran over to him worriedly. His face was bruised and scraped in many places. His lips were split and blood while his nose was more than likely broken.

Gine sighed shakily, her eyes shiny with tears, "Come on, let's get him to the infirmary."

The three of them rushed into the waiting room. Bardock halted and turned to his grandfather, asking, "Grandpa, do you have the sensu beans with you?"

A moment of silence passed where Goku simply stared at his grandson before slapping his forehead. "I knew I forgot something!" He frowned regretfully, "Sorry. Chi-Chi was rushing us and I instant transmissioned us out of the house. It slipped my mind but don't worry, I'll go get them right now."

"No, no," Bardock shook his head quickly. He transferred Tekka to Pan's arms. "I'll go get them. Pan, you and Gine take Tekka to the infirmary. I'll meet you there." He put two fingers to his forehead and disappeared.

He most definitely did not trust his grandfather since the last time he had to get sensu beans he took over half an hour because he was eating.

A few minutes passed before he reappeared back into the waiting room with the bag of sensu beans in his hand. He quickly took one bean out and threw the bag to Trunks before he ran towards the infirmary.

He knocked on the door and when it opened, he threw the sensu bean to Pan who was closest to the bed. He watched as the doctors tended to Tekka, feeling his skin prickle with guilt and his throat close at the sight of his energetic friend looking so lifeless and broken.

The muffled sound of the announcer's voice outside caught his attention. He took one last look at Tekka who began slowly chewing the sensu bean before making his way out.

"You knew, didn't you?" Bardock stopped and turned to Gine who was glaring at him as she walked over. "That's why you wanted him to give up. You knew that guy was going to beat him, didn't you? Didn't you?"

He lowered his gaze to the floor. "Yes."

She shoved him with all her strength. Bardock took the shove and the barrage of punches she gave to his chest. His heart constricted painfully when he saw the tears streaming down her face when she stepped away.

Gine laughed incredulously, "I actually thought you were different. I thought you were the nice guy Pan made you out to be but you're just an asshole who didn't do anything as his best friend-his best friend-was beaten up right in front of him."

Bardock worked his jaw and swallowed, "I guess I am." He turned around and began to walk away. "Tell Tekka I'm sorry I couldn't be here for him. I have to go."

"Whatever," Gine rolled her eyes with a scoff.

By the time he got to the waiting room, the match had already started but Kibito and Trunks were staring each other down. Everyone else in the waiting room was tense but from the ease in Shin's smile, he assumed everyone just figured out he was the Supreme Kai.

Bardock cupped his hands over his mouth, calling, "Trunks!" When his mentor turned to him questioningly, he gave a firm nod.

Trunks nodded back. He turned to Kibito, letting out a deep breath, before increasing his ki, shouting as he did so.

"So you think this is a good idea?" Gohan asked his son tersely.

"I've seen what happen, both in my vision and in the past," Bardock answered. "I know you're tense about this, Dad, but this is the only way we'll find Babidi."

The fighters stepped back to dodge some of the broken tiles came too close to hitting them in the face. Trunks' hair stood upright as he continued powering up. His blue eyes turned teal and his hair slowly went from purple to blond. He gave one final shout as he reached his highest level of power. He stood there unflinchingly as blue bolts of electricity flickered around him.

Bardock blinked slowly, "I never knew he could go Super Saiyan 2."

Between the rest of the Saiyans, Trunks wasn't the strongest. He was definitely strong, obviously stronger than Pan, Goten, and Bra, but when it came to Gohan, Goku, Bardock, and Vegeta, he ended up just barely competing with his father since he took the last 4 years to settle down in his job and with his family.

Judging by the small smirk on Vegeta's lips, one could say he was proud that his first born was stronger than they gave him credit for.

"Whatever happens next, you must stay back," Shin commanded.

"What happens next?" Yamcha raised an eyebrow.

Something flashed past them, catching Shin's attention. "There!"

Pinich and Cabba flew over to Trunks. The purple haired Saiyan was about to turn to face them but he suddenly turned stiff. Pinich caught him in a headlock while Cabba stabbed the tip of the device he had in his hand into Trunks' stomach. Trunks began screaming in pain as his ki was slowly drained.

"Hey, what are you doing to Trunks?"

"You assholes! I'll get you for this!"

Piccolo and Bardock restrained Yamcha and Krillin when they tried to rush out of the waiting room. In the ring, Trunks' hair went back to purple and fell back to its bowl shape as the light died in his now blue eyes.

Vegeta growled, clenching his fists at the sound of Trunks' screams "I won't stand for this." Before he could step out, he was stopped by someone grabbing the neck of his spandex. He glared at the fiend, "Kakarot, let me go."

"I'm sorry, Vegeta. I can't do that."

"Trunks will be fine, Vegeta," Shin said. "They're not going to kill him. They just need his ki."

Everyone turned when they heard Gohan shout, "No!" The Saiyan was being held back by Pan who had finally come back with Gine and a healed Tekka.

Pan shook her head as she used all her strength to hold him back, "I'm sorry, Dad, but we can't do anything! Please stop!"

They were all soon blinded by the device when it began to glow with Trunks' ki. When it died out, Trunks slumped to the ground almost lifelessly. Pinich and Cabba laughed triumphantly before taking off into the air.

Shin held out his arms. "Don't move. All of you stay where you are. Kibito will take care of Trunks now."

"Like hell he will," Vegeta snarled though he still couldn't break out of Goku's grip.

Gohan escaped Pan's hold and asked calmly, "What are you going to do with him?"

"Kibito will heal him. I, however, have to go. I must follow those two and find out where they are going to take Trunks' ki," Shin answered.

Bardock stepped forward. "I'm going with you." He turned to his family. "Pan, you stay here and get everyone to the Lookout. I don't know if we'll need the dragonballs this time, and I really hope we won't. Grandpa, Dad, Vegeta; we'll need you guys for this fight. When Trunks is better, we'll need him as well."

"What about us?" Yamcha asked. "What do we do?"

"Make sure no one gets hurt. You guys need to take care of everyone while we're fighting Buu," Bardock replied before he and Shin took off into the sky.

Goku and Vegeta soon took off after them. Pan and Gohan walked onto the ring as Kibito healed Trunks. Once he was able to stand on his two feet, he flew into the sky with Kibito. Pan gave her father one last hug before she had to watch him follow the others.

This was now the beginning of their troubles.


	12. The Stages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To get to Babidi, you have to go through his minions.

Chapter 12

The flight to Babidi was indeed longer than the one in the past was. Bardock even saw the old location as they followed Pinich and Cabba. The androids really had succeeded in driving Babidi and his henchmen into a completely new location.

"Anyone want to tell us what's going on?" Goku asked as he and the others caught up with Bardock and Shin. He grinned sheepishly, "Bardock told us about what happened in the past but I feel like things might have changed from his story."

Shin nodded and began explaining Babidi's backstory while Bardock stared at what was ahead, keeping tabs on Cabba's and Pinich's ki.

Everything felt a bit bizarre. In the last timeline, Bardock was the last to show up and had to be informed of everything by Krillin. He wasn't the one leading anything and he certainly had no idea what they were going up against at the time. He had no idea that following Shin would have resulted in him fighting one of the strongest opponents he had ever faced.

By the time Shin had finished explaining, Cabba and Pinich's ki lowered as they landed on the ground the spaceship was under. Unlike the last hideout, there weren't any rock formations around, so the fighters had to keep low on the ground with their ki masked, but still close enough to hear what was going on.

Bardock exhaled shakily as he sensed the new ki approaching. He was unfazed at the sight of Babidi and Dabura, unlike Shin and Kibito, but the other henchmen, the ones replacing Pui-Pui and Yakon, were the ones that had him more curious than worried.

They were both aliens that much he was sure of, but one had light blue skin and horns at the top of his head.

That one had Goku gasping in shock, "That one looks exactly like Frieza!"

So he was technically just a blue Frieza. That summed up his appearance perfectly, Bardock thought to himself.

The other was a very large alien with three red eyes with two giant horns on its head. His skin was pink but his hips, chest, and shoulders were black. The other parts were blue and the armor parts of his body were a dark pink. His large tail curled behind him, a claw on the end of it, matching the ones he had for fingers and toes.

However, it was the sight of the skinny human looking being that made him swallow any noise of shock. The man was muscular but scrawny. His hair went down to his back and his black eyes held no emotion. His clothes looked as if he was from royalty but that could've been from Babidi.

Either way, this man was a force to be reckoned with.

"Oh no," Trunks shuddered fearfully. "That's Broly."

That had everyone turning to him questioningly. "Broly?" Bardock inquired. "How do you know him?"

Trunks winced, "Before the Cell Games, he and his father Paragus tried to trick my dad into ruling a planet that was going to be destroyed by a comet. They wanted to kill him. It was revenge against King Vegeta who tried to kill Broly when he was just a baby."

"Paragus," Vegeta mumbled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I remember him." He turned to Trunks, narrowing his eyes, "Where is Paragus now?"

"Broly probably killed him already," Trunks replied. "He killed him last time by crushing a Saiyan pod while he was in it. He then threw it into the incoming comet."

Bardock clenched his jaw, "So he is a Saiyan."

When he noticed Babidi take the device holding Trunks' ki, he quickly shushed the conversation and watched the familiar scene unfold before them.

Unlike in the past, Broly was the one who stepped forward. His face was still blank, devoid of any type of emotions, as he grabbed Pinich's head and simply shoved it back, snapping it and killing him instantly.

Bardock felt bile rise in his throat at the sight. Not because he liked Pinich, hell he would've beaten him brutally for what he did to Tekka, but to have to watch someone die so brutally but so quickly was not something he wanted to see.

He turned back and saw Cabba shakily walk away in shock. The pink being suddenly appeared behind him and began feasting on him the minute his mouth opened to scream.

"Oh Kami," Trunks whispered harshly, his eyes shut tight.

As Babidi and the other henchmen walked back into the ship, Dabura stayed behind and turned his gaze towards them. It wasn't hard to tell what they were thinking when Dabura grinned menacingly.

"Move!" Bardock shouted just as Dabura appeared in front of them. He shoved Kibito out of the way and took the blast. His arms were scorched but not as bad as they were the last time he fought Dabura.

Dabura reared his head back and, before Bardock realized what was going on, Kibito returned the favor of moving him out of the way. The half Saiyan watched in shock as the pink man slowly turned to stone in front of him.

"Not again," He cursed. He shot a ki blast at Dabura's face before flying at him. He caught him around the waist, pushing him away from the others.

The two rolled in the sky, separating once upright. Bardock dodged Dabura's spit and sent a punch to his face. The demon king blinked in shock at the pain in his cheek. He growled and attacked his opponent.

"Don't touch my son!" Gohan shouted as he flew towards them with Goku and Trunks trailing behind.

Knowing he was outnumbered, Dabura spit at them again before flying back to the ship and quickly slipping inside.

Trunks dodged the spit and stared at the ship's entrance. "So, are we going?"

"We have to," Bardock nodded. He waved his hand, gesturing for Shin to follow despite the fact that he looked more than a little weary and frightened. They both knew they had to leave Kibito there until they dealt with Dabura.

The fighters touched down on the ground and made their way inside. The others, minus Bardock and Shin, gazed around in confusion when they landed in the last level of the underground ship.

Bardock ran a hand through his hair. "They've more than likely already put Trunks' ki into Buu's egg." He turned to his mentor. "You had way more ki than Dad had in the past. It's more than likely that Buu just needs a little to get out."

"So what do we do now?" Goku asked, scratching his head.

Before anyone could answer, the door opened revealing the blue Frieza. He stalked over to them, stopping a few feet away, and smirked, "Welcome, warriors. Master Babidi has been waiting for you."

He bowed, a shudder going through Vegeta at the similarity he had with Frieza, and spoke lowly, "My name is Frost. If you are looking to fight Master Babidi, he is on the last floor of the ship. To get to him, you have to defeat whoever appears on each stage. However, considering I'm your opponent, you won't live to see the next level."

Bardock leaned his head back as he groaned exasperatedly, "Okay, who wants to take this guy?" The smirk on Frost's lips faltered at the nonchalant tone.

Goku tilted his head thoughtfully, "Well, he looks like Frieza. If he's as strong as Frieza was back then, I don't really care to fight him, considering how much stronger we are now."

"Rock paper scissors?" Gohan suggested, putting his fist out.

Both Shin and Frost watched incredulously as the five Saiyans began playing the child game.

Vegeta grunted, rolling his eyes when he realized he was the winner, "Alright, fine. Let's get this over with." He stepped in front of Frost and smirked wickedly, "Are you ready, freak?"

Frost growled and charged at him, jumping in the air. He swiped his leg towards Vegeta who simply moved his head out of the way. He jumped back and threw a punch. Vegeta caught it easily and crushed his fingers slowly.

"You…" Frost choked out as he slowly fell to his knees. "You bastard."

Vegeta stared blankly as he put his hand in front of Frost's face. "I'm tired of these games. I thought you'd take this seriously."

Everyone moved their eyes away from the scene when a bright ki blast consumed Frost, obliterating him. Silence enveloped the stage once the blast died away with Frost along with it.

"A little over the top but at least it got the job done," Trunks stated while Shin gaped at what had transpired.

The circle of the floor soon opened. Bardock wasted no time in jumping in and flying down to the next stage. The others followed not long after.

Goku grinned, "I wonder who's coming out next. Is it gonna be Dabura, Broly, or that other alien guy?"

Bardock kept silent but he knew it was more than likely the pink alien was going to come out next. Yakon had supposedly been their secret weapon in the past and he came out right after Pui-Pui suffered the same fate Frost had.

Instead, he held his hand out, asking, "Rock paper scissors again?"

Trunks rubbed the bridge of his nose at the childish game but stepped forward with Gohan and Goku.

"Alright!" Goku cheered when he beat the other three. "I get to fight!"

The Son patriarch stepped towards the door and began stretching. He glanced at Bardock and raised an eyebrow, "You know this guy's weakness?"

"Sorry, Gramps," Bardock shook his head with a small smirk. "In the past, you fought an alien named Yakon. He was an alien who feasted on ki."

Shin nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, yes, I remember Yakon. I wonder what they did to him if he's not working for them anymore." He asked, "Who replaced Frost?"

"Some alien named Pui-Pui. Vegeta played with him for a bit before he blasted him to oblivion." Bardock chuckled, "Seems like the prince is getting a bit predictable." He ignored said prince's glare.

Goku stomped in foot, brow furrowed in impatience, "Come on! Where's the next opponent? I want to fight someone already!" He blinked when the door opened, revealing the pink alien.

The pink being stepped out towards them and gave a wide grin that had them all nauseous. His voice was rough and low, sending a shiver down some of their spines. "My name is Ozotto. I am your opponent for this stage."

"Finally," Goku said jovially. His expression sobered slightly as he got into a fighting stance. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Ozotto gave a vicious smirk as he charged towards Goku who was quick to dodge. The Saiyan caught the other alien's tail and twisted it in his arms. He then threw Ozotto towards the other end of the room.

When Ozotto tried to slash Goku with his long claws, Goku put two fingers to his forehead, disappearing. He reappeared behind the pink being and slammed his elbow into the back of his head.

He landed on the ground and got back into a fighting stance while Ozotto struggled to stand back up. Everyone's eyes widened in slight shock when Ozotto turned to them with a whole new face and body.

"Hey," Goku spoke up uncertainly. "That's me."

Ozotto laughed, his voice mixing with Goku's, before he put two fingers to his forehead, disappearing and reappearing behind Goku. Goku put his arms up quickly, his arms taking the brunt of the punch.

It was hard for Goku to fight without using any ki blasts. The others knew that he would've easily ended the fight had he just used a strong kamehameha blast. But they knew Shin would be completely against anything that might prematurely awaken Buu.

Watching an alien give Goku a run for his money was shocking. However, Goku quickly turned the tables by turning into a Super Saiyan.

His teal eyes glared at Ozotto. "Alright, now it's time to get serious."

Vegeta snorted silently, "Finally."

Ozotto, still in Goku's form, met Goku in the middle. The two counteracted every hit and every kick. It was hard to tell if Goku was actually winning since Ozotto was learning everything of Goku's abilities just by memory.

By luck, Goku powered a ki blast in his fist discreetly. He slammed it into Ozotto's chest, keeping the blast away from the walls. Ozotto gagged out green blood and fell back to his original alien form.

Goku ripped out his hand and watched the alien fall lifelessly to the floor. He gave a rough exhale as he went back to his base form. He then laughed, "Wow that was a little harder than I thought it would be."

"It was much longer than last time too," Bardock commented. He waved his hand, gesturing him to follow when the circle in the floor opened again.

Their feet hit the floor to the second to last level. Trunks glanced at the door and sighed, stepping forward, "Alright. Another game?"

Bardock, Gohan, and him put their hands in the middle and began the game again despite their inner protests.

Gohan did a small fist pump at seeing his scissors beat Trunks' and Bardock's paper. He smirked, crossing his arms as he gazed at the door, "I guess it's my turn." He tilted his head towards his son, "Who do you think is coming out next?"

"Well…" Bardock sighed, glancing around the room. "I can't exactly say. Babidi might be listening right now." He gave a grin, "Whoever it is, Dad, I'm sure you can take him no problem."

Goku nodded with the same grin, "He's right, Gohan. I believe in you."

"Same here, Gohan," Trunks nodded, a smile on his lips.

They all turned to Shin and Vegeta. Shin was still silent in his numb shock. Vegeta rolled his eyes, glancing away, "I'll believe in you when I see you can do something other than waste our time."

Trunks sighed, shaking his head, "Honestly, I think that's the nicest compliment he's ever given to anyone."

Gohan shrugged, "I've heard worse." He turned to the door with a narrowed gaze, "Now let's see what we're working with."

The tense moment was cut when the door finally opened.


	13. Bardock vs. Broly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last of the stages.

Chapter 13

Like Bardock predicted, Dabura stalked out of the open door and stood in front of the group. He smirked, "How nice to meet you. I see you had no problem taking care of our other fighters. They weren't the strongest so it's no surprise they were beaten, but now you are facing me, and I can assure you that you will not proceed to the next stage."

"You don't seem like the strongest here," Vegeta mocked. "If your boss thought you were the strongest, he would've sent Broly instead."

"So you do know that Saiyan's name," Dabura said.

Gohan crossed his arms, his eyes stony, "Are we doing this or what? It's my turn to fight."

Dabura grunted, cracking his neck, "I'd prefer it if all of you attacked. One-on-one just doesn't seem that fun."

"This isn't about fun," Gohan clenched his jaw. "Now let's go."

"Fine," Dabura said airily. The room suddenly changed and suddenly they were in a rocky terrain area.

Trunks stared around the area with a raised eyebrow, "So he has the power to change the area. Why didn't he do that before?"

"Babidi only changes the area if he thinks it'll give his warrior an advantage," Bardock supplied. "Last time he changed it to the same area because he didn't want the ship being damaged during the fight." He glanced at the sky. "I'm surprised he hasn't been talking to us directly like he did in the past. He probably doesn't want us to know what he's doing."

Dabura and Gohan walked away from the group and stood in front of each other. Dabura's lips twitched slightly before the two suddenly disappeared and reappeared. Gohan slammed his fist into Dabura's face, shocking the demon king with the force of it.

The demon king growled and swiped at Gohan who side stepped the sudden beam that flew at him and watched as it cut the cliff behind them much too easily. The Saiyan male moved quickly at the ki blasts thrown at him. He appeared in front of Dabura and punched him in the gut, sending him into another cliff.

Dabura coughed as he lifted himself from the broken rocks. He wiped the dribble of blood on his chin. "You're much stronger than I anticipated. However, I know you'll soon make a mistake."

"Enough talk," Gohan grunted as he flew at the demon again.

The rest of the group watched as Gohan and Dabura battled it out. Goku exhaled with a grin on his face, "Look at him go."

"Alright, Dad!" Bardock cheered, clapping his hands. "This is going way better than it did in the other timeline," He said to the others.

"Let me guess; your father got soft in those peaceful years," Vegeta said.

"Unfortunately," Bardock nodded, eyes still on the two fighters. "I thought Dad was doing pretty well the first few minutes but he turned Super Saiyan way too early and kept messing up. Even Grandpa was a bit disappointed."

Goku tilted his head curiously, "So who won?"

Bardock shook his head, "No one. Babidi cut the fight short because they came up with a ploy to get one of us to betray us. That led to Buu's awakening."

"Who betrayed you?" Shin questioned, a bit of fear coating his tone.

"Don't worry, Supreme Kai. I doubt it'll gonna happen again."

Back on the battle grounds, Dabura materialized a sword. He slashed at Gohan who was quick to move out of the way of the attack.

Gohan punched Dabura once more, only to have his hand blocked by the sword. He pushed harder, the skin of his knuckles beginning to break.

The others, minus Vegeta and the shaken Supreme Kai, cheered quietly when a flash of light came from Gohan and almost blinded them. Dabura's sword broke under the force of Gohan's Super Saiyan strength.

"That was way better than in the past," Bardock clapped.

They could see that Gohan now had the fight in his hand. Dabura had powered to his highest level but even then, he couldn't handle Gohan in his new form.

After a variety of punches, kicks, and ki blasts, Dabura finally hit the ground, too damaged to even get up.

Gohan dropped back to his base form, glaring at the demon king below him. "You're done, Dabura, and so is your master." He lifted his hand, powering a ki blast. "This is for Kibito."

The blast disintegrated Dabura just as he was shaking his head and lifting a hand to plead to the Saiyan.

The room changed back to the regular ship room. Shin rubbed a tired hand over his face and sighed, his heart rate finally slowing, "Thank goodness that's over."

"It's not technically over," Bardock said, staring at the door. "Babidi still has Broly and I'm sure he's bringing him out next."

Goku covered a yawn. "Well, who's fighting him next?" A pout came on his lips. "I kinda wish I didn't fight Ozotto if Broly's stronger."

"I should fight him," Vegeta cut in forcefully.

"Bardock and I are the only ones who haven't fought so it's only fair that one of us gets to fight Broly," Trunks remarked. He turned to his former student and bowed, "Bardock, you can take him if you want."

Bardock raised an amused eyebrow, "Wow, is he that strong?"

"Gohan, Piccolo, my dad, and I had to give our power to Goku to finally kill him. He's a tyrant who has some kind of grudge against Goku," Trunks deadpanned. "So yes, be my guest."

Bardock laughed lightly as the door opened once again. Broly walked through the door, his face blank but his eyes falling to Goku immediately. Vegeta pondered how such a scrawny Saiyan held so much power. He was either hiding it or Trunks was greatly exaggerating; he believed the latter was more than likely true.

"Babidi has told me I must take the rest of you out now," Broly spoke softly which already grated on Vegeta's nerves.

"Beta male," Vegeta grumbled.

Gohan placed his hand on his son's shoulder. He smiled slightly when Bardock turned to him questioningly, "Do whatever you have to do, Bardock. I have complete faith in you."

"Will do, Dad," Bardock nodded. He cracked his knuckles before pulling one arm across his chest. "Okay, Broly, how do you want to do this?"

Broly slowly walked up to him, stopping only inches away from the youngest Saiyan in the room. His monotone voice started creeping everyone out. "I'm only here for Kakarot. Please move out of the way."

"You want my grandpa, you have to go through me first."

The two stared at each other before Broly twitched, most likely listening to Babidi in his head. Their assumptions were correct when the Saiyan nodded his assent to fighting Bardock first. The room then changed to the same mountain terrain again.

Bardock breathed deeply, clenching his fists. He gazed around the area before his eyes fell on his opponent. He nodded grimly, "Let's do this."

The two crouched into fighting stances before they took off, meeting in the middle and blocking the other's attacks. Jumping away from each other, they charged at each other again, disappearing and reappearing in different parts in the sky with their fists or legs meeting.

"Wow," Trunks breathed in awe, never having seen someone go toe to toe with Broly before. His stomach twisted dreadfully when he realized that Broly was still only in his base form.

By the time the two stepped away from each other to give themselves breathing room, they were both already sporting deep gashes and dark bruises.

Bardock sniffed, wiping the blood from his lips, his eyes still on his opponent. "How about we make this a little more interesting, Broly?" Broly titled his head, listening. "We're both Saiyans, right? We're not gonna get anywhere in our base forms, so let's step it up a notch."

Trunks stiffened, his eyes widening, "Bardock, no!"

A thin smirk came onto Broly's lips just as his long locks of black hair lifting as they turned gold. Bardock, not intimidated by the severe increase of his ki, turned into a Super Saiyan. They took off towards each other again.

Vegeta clapped, chuckling. "Now this is entertainment."

"Are you insane?!" Shin and Trunks exclaimed.

Trunks ran his hands through his hair anxiously. "Bardock doesn't know what he's getting into. Broly's only a Super Saiyan. If he goes to the next level, Bardock won't last against him."

Gohan frowned, his eyes tracking his son's movements in the sky. "Have some faith in him, Trunks. He still has a few tricks up his sleeve."

"Yes, Trunks, trust your former student," Vegeta smirked. "The brat is stronger than you after all. Him fighting Broly is your doing anyway."

"Me fighting him is why I know Bardock's in trouble," Trunks retorted still in a slight panic. "Broly isn't just a regular Saiyan, Dad. He's the Legendary Super Saiyan you've always heard about."

At that, the rest of the group froze in shock despite the harsh fight still going on above them. Vegeta slowly turned to his son, his nostrils flared as he glared heatedly, "And you didn't think to tell us this-oh I don't know-when we first saw him?!"

"I'm sorry!" Trunks shouted back, flinching when he felt Bardock power up to his Super Saiyan 2 form. "I didn't think it'd happen like this. I thought Bardock would want us all to fight him, not take turns. I bowed out because even if we did all fight, I knew I wouldn't be much help since his power level is almost twice as high as mine. I was just going to give him my ki if he needed it."

"Trunks, my son is out there fighting the Legendary Super Saiyan and he's already running on his last form," Gohan addressed his former student lowly. "Bardock may be smart, he may be strong, stronger than any of us, but he's still my son and I am not going to let him die at the hands of this tyrant and his master."

He gazed back to the fight, his chest hollow, "We need to stop this fight and we need to stop it now."

"But how?" Supreme Kai asked disbelievingly. "If they're already in their highest levels, they won't stop until one of them is permanently down or they forfeit."

"Don't worry, guys." They gazed at Goku who gave them an easy Son grin. "Bardock's gonna be just fine. Just keep watching."

The hard punch from Bardock sent Broly flying away. Both Saiyans hit the ground, several yards away from each other. Bardock panted heavily, his arms feeling like lead. He could feel his muscles shaking intensely and he could taste the blood pooling in his mouth. This was just as hard as fighting Kid Buu.

"If you keep fighting, I won't hesitate to kill you," Broly said. His voice was much deeper and rough in his Super Saiyan form. "I'm only here for Kakarot. Move aside and you'll live to see another day."

A ragged groan left Bardock. "Okay," He swallowed; the iron tang in his mouth had him resisting the urge to retch. He lifted his aching head and slowly nodded to the other Saiyan. "I've got some fight still left in me."

He sluggishly straightened. His brain was leaning heavily on his forehead, causing his temples to pulse painfully. He shut his eyes tightly and slowly opened them. He dropped out of his Super Saiyan form.

"What's he doing?" Vegeta hissed.

Goku waved his hand, whispering, "Just watch."

Feet planted firmly on the ground, arms curled by his side, and fists clenched, Bardock inhaled deeply and bent his knees. He shouted as he straightened once more, his power level increasing enormously.

He bent at the waist, the veins on his arms, face, and forehead bulged as he ripped through the restraints he had placed on his himself. Screams ripped from his throat at the feeling of his insides burning harshly and his ki wrapping around him.

The earth below them shook intensely. The group held onto each other when the wind around them became too rough.

Bardock's hair flashed from black to silver. His black eyes turned gold. His aura went from white to silver. It was accompanied by gold bolts flying around it. His muscles grew twice in size and his tail ripped out of the clothed confines, whipping around as the fur lightened.

His screams died down, along with the shaking of the earth and the harsh winds. His gold eyes glared at Broly, "Now this is the real fight."

As the two charged at each other once more, Shin shook his head, his breathing short and panicked, "O-oh no, Bardock. With all this excess ki he's releasing, he's surely going to wake Buu up." He turned to the others, only to find them gaping at the fight. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"He has another form?!" Vegeta shouted in annoyance.

"That is so cool!" Goku cheered, tittering excitedly.

Gohan grinned in astonishment, "I knew he had something up his sleeve."

"Oh Bardock, what have you done?" Trunks muttered numbly.

The power the two gave off was staggering. Each punch and kick sent out a rush of the large ki each Saiyan had. Neither used ki blasts but none were needed in a fist fight like the one they were displaying.

Broly flew past Bardock towards the group. He was intercepted by his opponent who grabbed his ankle and threw him towards the ground.

" _Broly, what are you doing?_ " Babidi's shrill voice cut in. The fighters halted, staring up at the sky. " _Kill the boy! Stop playing around!_ "

The veins on Broly's forehead that were covered by Babidi's M grew larger as he shook his head forcefully, "No more! You told me I could kill Kakarot. I will not waste my time fighting this brat when Kakarot's right there!"

Goku and Trunks flinched at that.

" _I don't care about your petty grudge! If you do not kill the boy and the Supreme Kai, at least stop the match and get back here! Buu is about to awaken!_ "

"NO!" Broly screamed, the teal of his eyes disappearing into the white as he powered up to insane levels. "I will kill Kakarot! You can't stop me!"

The room suddenly changed back to the regular ship. As Broly charged at Goku, Bardock interfered, sending the two through the wall of the ship. The rest of the Saiyans and Shin watched as the two battled their way to the surface. Goku grabbed them and pressed two fingers to his forehead.

They appeared back on the surface where Kibito was gazing around frantically. Shin laughed shakily in relief at the sight of his companion, "Kibito!"

"Supreme Kai, thank goodness you're alright," Kibito exclaimed as he rushed over to them. He gazed at the two fighting Saiyans in the sky. "What's going on?"

"I'm afraid Bardock is trying to defeat Broly on his own, but from his ki, he will only be the death of himself if he stays in that form."

Gohan gritted his teeth angrily. "Don't you dare say that about my son. He's stronger than all of us. He won't lose."

"Look!" Goku shouted, pointing at something behind the Saiyans. "It's Babidi and he's…holding a giant egg?"

Shin gasped fearfully, "Oh no. Majin Buu's almost here! We have to stop him." They tried to rush over there, only to be stopped when the brawling Saiyans skidded past them. Shin gazed past the sand that blocked their sight. His heart stopped at the sight of the smoke billowing out of the egg.

Broly and Bardock slammed their fists into the other's cheeks. Blood gushed out of their mouths before they flew away from each other.

Bardock cupped his hands to his side, chanting, "Kamehameha!" He shot his hands forward, releasing the powerful blue beam of energy.

Broly sent a large green ki blast to counterattack it. Their blasts met in the middle, struggling to overpower the other. Bardock gritted his teeth, his feet crushing the floor underneath him to hold his stance.

"BUU!"

The shout sent Bardock toppling to the ground causing him to release his hold on his kamehameha. He fell back to his base form as he stumbled to get on his feet.

When he stood up shakily on his damaged feet, his eyes met the familiar pink being that he wished he never had to see again.


	14. Worse Than Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was nothing like the past.

Chapter 14

Bardock's knees shook. He swallowed dryly as he stared fearfully at the pink being in front of him. He stumbled back a step, trying in vain to hold his own body up. He hadn't ever used his silver saiyan form while living and it felt just as draining as it did when he was dead. Only this time, he didn't get to go to the Other World to recharge. He had to fight through the exhaustion with what little ki he had left.

Across from him, Buu continued to clap happily with a large grin on his face. He giggled and giggled as if there wasn't a battle he just interrupted.

"You weren't kidding. He really is a fat pink balloon," Vegeta stated numbly.

The sentence brought Bardock back to the present. He blinked, his eyelids heavy, and inhaled deeply to keep himself steady. He cursed under his breath before speaking, "Okay, I just need to get Buu away from Babidi and make him get his evil form out."

Shin was taken aback. "What?! You're planning on letting him live?"

Bardock gave a stuttering nod, "He'll be a great ally if he lives. He's much stronger than all of us and he's not a total bad guy. The Buu that I fought in the past was only bad because he had an evil side in him. All I have to do is convince him to fight for us and he won't try to kill us or you guys." He addressed Trunks next, "Do you still have the bag of sensu beans?"

Trunks reached into his pocket and took out the pouch. He nodded, "Right here." He tossed the bag to his former student.

Bardock caught the pouch. His hands shook involuntarily as he untied the bag. He reached in and took a sensu bean out. He felt utterly rejuvenated after he swallowed the sensu bean. He tossed the pouch to the others. "Here, take these. You're going to need every ounce of energy you can get."

He walked towards Buu who was now doing cartwheels, still oblivious or ignoring everyone, including his master screaming orders at him. "Buu?" He stammered.

His heart jolted fearfully when Buu abruptly stopped his childish antics to stare at him blankly. He raised his hands, now shaking anxiously, and spoke slowly, "H-hi, Buu. My name is Bardock."

Buu tilted his head confusedly, "Buu?"

"I just, uh…" The pounding of his heart was doing nothing to help him. Instead he was getting lightheaded and his limbs felt like they were filled with too much blood. A bead of sweat fell past his eye as he inhaled raggedly, "Buu, you don't-you don't have to listen to Babidi. You can be your own person."

"Don't listen to him, Majin Buu!" Babidi screamed. He turned to his last standing subordinate. "Broly, kill this brat now!"

Broly growled viciously, "I won't listen to you anymore. I will kill Kakarot!"

"Buu, Buu, Buu!" Buu cheered, giggling.

This was getting out of hand. "Buu, please, listen to me," Bardock tried to plead. "Babidi is trying to get you to destroy everyone. He wants you to be the bad guy, and by doing that, people will hate you and do everything in their power to destroy you. I want you to be my friend, to be a good guy. You can-you can have other friends, and great food and sweets. Enough to your body's content. Please, Buu."

"Enough of this!" Babidi exclaimed angrily. He shot out his hands and began chanting something none of them understood.

A sharp jolt clutched Bardock's brain. The freezing of his veins causing him to stiffen tightly. He croaked, desperately trying to call out to his friends. His soul felt like it was being torn apart viciously. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he hit the ground, seizing uncontrollably.

"Bardock!" They shouted urgently.

Gohan ran over to his son. Goku turned to Shin, his eyes wide in fright, "What did Babidi do to him?"

"I…" Shin breathed shakily. "I believe he's trying to rip apart Bardock's soul. If he succeeds, you won't be able to wish him back with the dragonballs."

"We can't just stand here while he dies!" Trunks fumed. He quickly turned into a Super Saiyan and rushed over to Bardock.

Goku swallowed dryly, his eyes jumping to everyone near them. He nodded slightly towards Broly. "Hey, Broly!" The other Saiyan gazed at him heatedly. "I'll fight you if you get Babidi to stop whatever he's doing to my grandson."

A wicked smirk crept onto Broly's lips. "I'll do you one better." He grabbed the chanting Babidi by his throat and ignored his protests as he slowly began squeezing.

Shin averted his gaze, shuddering at his now headless nemesis. He stared at Goku questioningly, "Are you sure you can fight him? Bardock is stronger than you and even he couldn't take him in the long run."

"It doesn't matter," Goku replied. "I'll do anything to save my family." He turned into a Super Saiyan, his teal eyes firm on his new opponent.

Broly laughed, deep and sadistic, "Now this is what I've been waiting for." He grinned, moving his iris and pupil-less eyes towards Buu, "Let's get rid of the rest of the dead weight, shall we?"

Not far from the Saiyan, Buu stared at the boy who tried to speak with him. His bottom lip jutted out in a pout; his new friend was hurt. This wasn't fun. "No hurt friend," He whispered petulantly.

Bardock stirred in his father's arms. His eyes fluttered opened slowly. He stared up at the worried faces of his father and former mentor, "Am I dead?"

"Just about," Broly stated gruffly. He formed a ki blast in his hand and aimed it at the three Saiyans on the ground. He raised an eyebrow when Buu stepped in between him and the others. He chuckled, "You'll get your turn, Buu. Step aside and let me kill these useless creatures that have the nerve to call themselves Saiyans."

"No hurt Buu's friend," Buu shrieked. "Buu save friend!" His antenna shot out a pink ki blast.

Broly side stepped the blast and let his blast loose. He smirked at the giant hole in Buu's stomach. He wasn't surprised when the pink being stitched up the hole.

The holes in Buu's head opened, releasing a harsh cloud of steam. Buu glared at Broly, fists clenched tightly in the yellow mittens, "You pay!"

The cloud soon covered the area around the fighters. When it died down, a grey skinny Buu with a long face stood across from the pink Buu.

"Who you?" Buu blinked.

The skinny Buu stalked over to his counterpart and towered over him. He glared down at him with his white, lifeless eyes.

Fat Buu growled, "Stop it! Who are you?"

"Tell me who you are first!" Skinny Buu bellowed.

"Me Majin Buu!"

"You fool! I'm Majin Buu."

Growling angrily, Buu then threw a punch at the new Buu who dodged it and retaliated with a stronger punch, this time hitting the mark and sending Buu a few yards away.

The two continued to battle it out, taking to the skies while the others stayed watching them from the ground. Bardock grunted as he stood up with the help of his father. He stared at the fight with weak eyes, "Oh, so that's what happened."

"Are you alright, Bardock?" Trunks asked worriedly. "The Supreme Kai said that the spell Babidi used was pretty brutal on your soul."

"Felt like it," Bardock breathed in response. He tried to lift his head. "If we let that Buu eat the other one, we're done for. That Buu is truly evil and there's no way we can bring him on our side."

"What should we do?" Gohan inquired.

Bardock groaned as he stepped away from his father, "Help. Grandpa and Vegeta can distract Broly while we fight Evil Buu."

He held his head in his hands as Gohan turned into a Super Saiyan and rushed off towards the Buus with Trunks, Shin, and Kibito. It was almost as if the sensu bean was absorbed into nothing after he was hit with that spell. His body felt heavy and his head ached, but at his very core, he felt like he was bleeding inside. He was wounded inside and out, and that spell, whatever its intention was, was working. He couldn't fight. He could barely even move.

He wasn't the only one.

The fight against Broly wasn't doing well. Goku and Vegeta were already in their Super Saiyan 2 forms and were still getting their faces smashed into the ground by Broly who was still in his first Super Saiyan form.

In the sky, Evil Buu took down Shin, Kibito, and Trunks. Gohan, who was also in his Super Saiyan 2 form, was holding his own, but Bardock could feel his ki slowly draining.

He inhaled weakly, "Damn it. I can't do anything." Even the thought of raising his ki had him doubling over in pain, both mentally and physically.

"Enough!" Broly shouted. In his hands, he held Vegeta by his neck. Trunks had gotten to Goku before Broly could do severe damage to him.

Broly threw Vegeta to the ground and stormed over to where the Buus were still floating, their fighting now halted. He flew up to them with a smirk. "Let's settle this the right way. Buu…" He held up his hand when fat Buu opened his mouth. "No, the real Buu." He nodded at Evil Buu's grin. "Let's work together. You and me could destroy this world."

"No, don't let him do it!" Bardock protested. He barely moved a few feet before he was blasted back by Broly.

Broly moved over to Fat Buu and grasped him by the antenna. The pink being's vigorous squirming did nothing to falter him. He held him out towards the grey Buu. "Kill him, Buu. Do whatever you need to, and then we'll kill everyone else here."

There was nothing more terrifying than seeing the wide grin on Buu's face. His antenna moved before blasting Fat Buu with a pink blast. Big Buu screamed when he was enveloped in the blast.

The others, too damaged to move, watched in shock as Buu was turned into a large chocolate. However, it was more shocking to see skinny Buu grab the chocolate and shove it into his mouth. His eyes widened at the rush flowing through his body. He cackled as pink steam erupted from the holes on his body.

When the pink cloud died down, Buu stood there in his new pink and more muscular form. He chuckled, observing his limbs, "Now this is what I needed." He held his hand out towards Broly. "Shall we start?"

"We shall," Broly replied smugly, shaking Buu's hand.

The moment their hands touched, Buu's body contorted. The pink blob launched itself at Broly, latching itself onto him. It was a surprise to them all that he didn't start attacking right then and there.

Bardock stared with wide eyes, his heart pounding in fright, "Oh no. No, no, no, no. This can't be happening."

Buu stood before them in Broly's clothes. His antenna was shaped into Broly's long locks, and his face was as hard and shaped as the Saiyan's.

"They're fused."


	15. As It Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knowing you can't do anything to help had to be one of the worst feelings.

Chapter 15

Bardock grunted weakly as he finished tying his headband to Trunks' wrist. He lifted his shaky free hand to grab the other two unconscious Saiyans. A sharp pain sparked in his face. He resisted the urge to grit his teeth, knowing it would only make the pain a thousand times worse if he moved any muscle in his face.

His body ached, his ankle was broken, and his face felt like someone drove a knife through it repeatedly. The giant gash on his left cheek was more than likely going to leave a nasty scar.

Trunks, Vegeta, and Goku were knocked out. Kibito's body was thrown somewhere; Bardock couldn't see nor sense him. The only thing he could see was his giant arm lying on the ground not too far from him. The Supreme Kai had been blasted away from them, and just like in the past, he couldn't sense him at all.

The worst part of it all; he couldn't sense Gohan.

He knew the moment Buu and Broly fused that it would more than likely mean the end of the universe if he didn't do everything in his power to stop them. Each and every single one of them tried everything to fight this new Buu.

The fused being of Buu and Broly, Buuly, was too strong for them. Broly by himself was stronger than Bardock in his Silver Saiyan form, as was Buu, so putting the two together only shut the door on any hope Bardock had of ending this ordeal quickly and painlessly.

None of them stood a chance.

Tears slipped down Bardock's face, stinging his face when it mixed into the cuts that littered his face. His father had to be alive. He didn't have the lingering hope that his father was alive like in the past, not when their enemy was this strong.

_Where am I?_

Bardock started at the new voice. He whipped his head up to gaze around the rocky terrain. He licked his cracked lips, asking hoarsely, "Who's there?"

_Who the hell are you?_

"Where are you?" Bardock mumbled as he tried to find the source of the voice.

_That's what I'd like to know, jackass._

Bardock rolled his eyes, glad that movement didn't hurt him, "You're on earth. At least, I assume you are. I can't see you."

_…Earth? I…I think that was the planet Kakarot was sent to._

A pause. Bardock narrowed his eyes, "How do you know that name?"

_That's my son's name. How do you know that name?_

"That's my grandfather's name," Bardock replied, staring at Goku's unconscious form. He blinked, realization setting in, "Wait, if you're Grandpa's dad, then that means you're-"

Right before his eyes, he suddenly saw a man who looked exactly like his grandfather, only with tanned, scarred skin and wearing Saiyan armor as well as a red headband similar to his own.

_My name is Bardock. Who the hell are you?_

Earlier at the tournament…

"We have to go now."

"Go where?" Gine questioned frantically as she stumbled to follow Pan who grasped her and Tekka's hands tightly.

Pan shook her head as she ran out of the waiting room, Krillin and Yamcha already in the stands with the rest of her friends and family. "I'll explain everything after we get out of here. There's a lot I haven't told you."

"What about the tournament?" Tekka inquired incredulously.

"I was gonna let my grandfather win anyway," Pan replied. "We have to fly to the stands to get everyone. Come on!"

Still in shock, the two humans followed her in the air towards the stands. Pan held up her hands when everyone began speaking, their voices overlapping and making it harder to understand their worries.

"Is it starting?"

"Please tell me Trunks is okay!"

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"Where's Papa?"

"I'm scared."

Pan closed her eyes tightly, her fists shaking at her sides. A headache pinched its way through her brain. "Guys!" She blurted out angrily, stopping everyone's speech. "I don't know what exactly is happening, but I do know that we have to get to the Lookout. That's the only place we'll be safe."

Despite her shock and the cold in her veins, Bulma shakily nodded, "Right. She's right, guys." She stood on unsteady legs. "Let's go."

It took a while to get to the jet copter. Most of that time was spent searching for Bra and Goten, and then later consoling them when they cried about Trunks. It took another 10 minutes to get them under control when they tried to follow Bardock and the rest of the Saiyans after finding out they went to go fight bad guys.

The group was pretty packed in the jet copter and the awkward silence didn't help anything. However, Pan was only focused on her father and brother's kis which were the same as they were when they first left the island. No spike in ki was good news, she assumed. It meant they either weren't fighting or were fighting someone who they could take in their base form.

A grunt from Piccolo took her attention. She leaned over, whispering questioningly, "Can you sense what's happening?"

"I believe Goku has turned into a Super Saiyan," Piccolo mumbled back, his eyes closed as he concentrated on the group far from them. "He must be fighting someone strong. He usually likes to battle it out in his base form before he takes it up to another level."

"Did you feel Vegeta's before that?" Krillin asked in the same whispering tone. "It seemed like he was fighting but his ki stayed the same throughout the whole thing."

The three blinked when they felt Goku's ki fall down to its regular base level. Pan sighed in relief, "I only hope none of the others have to go Super Saiyan." She glanced at the two, eyes glinting with curiosity, "Why didn't you two follow them?"

Krillin snorted, "Please. If those five can't take on this Buu guy then there's no way I could be of any help. Even when I fought the androids, it only took about 5 minutes before I was killed."

"I may be stronger than most, but even I can see that my skills would be useless against Majin Buu," Piccolo replied.

"I was just asking," Pan shrugged. "You two followed them in the past, but Bardock told me you didn't get to do much since you turned to stone. He didn't see you guys again until he got to the Lookout."

Krillin exhaled, letting his head rest against his seat, "Yeah. That sounds about right." He moved his gaze to the half Saiyan. "What about you? Did you go last time?"

Pan barked a laugh. She slapped her hand over her mouth, gazing sheepishly at her mother's glare. She turned back to Krillin, shaking her head, "No, no. Bardock basically forbid me from going. While I understand now, I was pretty pissed he left me out back then."

"What happened?"

"Let's just say everything that could've gone wrong did go wrong."

The three of them stiffened once again when they felt Gohan's ki spiking slightly. He had turned into a Super Saiyan. Luck was on their side when his ki went back to normal moments later. They sighed in relief at that.

Piccolo opened his eyes, nodding to the front of the jet copter, "We're here."

The jet copter lifted the rest of the way and landed on the Lookout. Pan was quick to get Tekka and Gine out of the copter. She sent a quick smile to Dende and Mr. Popo as she dragged her friends out of earshot from her family.

She exhaled shakily, clasping her hands together, "Okay, what do you guys want to know?"

"For one, where are we?" Tekka blurted out. He ran a hand through his messy hair frantically. "I mean, we flew so high in the air. So high. Really high. How can we even breathe up here? Where is here? Why is Piccolo green?!" He winced at Gine's sharp stare, "Sorry."

"Alright," Pan began. "My grandpa and Vegeta are Saiyans which was a warrior race on planet Vegeta. They're the last of their kind since they were wiped out by a tyrant named Frieza."

She waved her hand at the growing questions in their eyes. "Another time. My dad was the first half Saiyan, half Human hybrid, but when he lost his arm after fighting the androids, he took a serum that contained alien cells which caused his dominant cells, the saiyan cells, to take over his human ones, making him a full blooded Saiyan. He and my mom then had me and Bardock. That's how we're half Saiyans instead of quarter ones."

"So you're…you're half alien?" Gine piped up, her voice wavering slightly. "Why did you never tell us?"

"I was scared," Pan replied, shrugging helplessly. "I didn't know how you'd react, especially since we have the same powers as the androids."

"But you look so human. You all do, except Piccolo," Tekka commented. "What makes you different from humans?"

Pan sighed heavily, "Well for one, we're born with tails. I had mine cut off when I was four but Bardock kept his and my dad's grew back. They both keep it under their clothes so no one can see it. If either of them looks at a full moon, they turn into a giant monkey. We call it Oozaru. I've Bardock do it and trust me, it was frightening."

Tekka blinked, taken aback, "Oh wow. I wasn't expecting that."

"Not only do we have that but our ki is much stronger than humans'. Even at a young age, I was much stronger than you two are now," Pan continued. "We also have other forms we can take on if we have enough powers?"

"Forms?" Gine raised an eyebrow.

Pan nodded, gesturing to herself, "Right now I'm in my base form. At the tournament, when Bra and Goten turned into Gold Fighters, they were in their first Super Saiyan form. All of us can turn into Super Saiyans. When Trunks turned during his match, he went up to Super Saiyan 2 which is much stronger than the first one. I can't do that and neither can the kids, but the others can."

She stiffened suddenly. Bardock's ki was rising at an alarming rate. He must've been fighting someone strong if he had to go to his Super Saiyan 2 form already. Whoever it was, she only hoped Bardock beat them quickly.

Gine noticed the conflict in her eyes and asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Bardock," Pan replied quietly. "He's in his Super Saiyan 2 form. His opponent must be strong because he hates turning unless he absolutely has to. It's why he's so much stronger than any of us."

"What does you being an alien have to do with all of this?" Tekka asked, getting them back onto the main subject.

Nodding, Pan got to the core of the conflict, "When the androids were around, Trunks went back in time to warn my grandpa about the androids. By doing so, he created another timeline where they defeated the androids before they killed everyone, but because of his intervention, they ended up facing a worse enemy; Cell."

She wrung her wrists and bit her lip, continuing, "What I'm about to tell you is going to shock you, and I'm sorry I never told you this before." She took a deep breath and met their eyes, gazing firmly, "Bardock is the one who killed the androids."

Shock was too little of a word to cover what the humans were feelings. The knowledge that their friend, someone who they knew was extremely strong, was brave enough to kill those cyborgs and at such a young age had them reeling.

Knowing that the two were speechless, Pan continued explaining, "After the fight, Bardock had a vision of the timeline Trunks was in. He saw Buu. He then used another time machine to go into the past and I went with him. We spent 7 years there before we fought Buu and it happened just like this. With flying lessons, a tournament, someone getting beaten up brutally, and someone getting their ki taken away before they left the island."

"So Bardock knew I was gonna get beaten up," Tekka sniffed, his eyes on his feet.

"It's why he told you to forfeit if things got too rough," Pan stated. She frowned, "I know you're mad at him for letting that happen but he hates himself way more because he couldn't do anything. In the past, it was our mom that got beaten up. He knew about it and he still couldn't do anything. Everything that happened, everything that will happen, he's seen and he's trying his best to make sure no one dies."

She exhaled, cracking her neck, "Now short versions. Piccolo and Dende are from Namek, a planet my dad has gone to. Dende is the guardian of this planet since Kami, the last guardian, fused with Piccolo. Yes, Dende is god on this planet. The Lookout is where he and Mr. Popo live. The sensu bean we gave you was from Korin who makes them. He actually lives below here. Majin Buu is who Bardock is fighting and yes, he is insanely strong. Last time it took Bardock, me, and my dad to kill him."

She clapped her hands. "That about cover it?"

The Lookout suddenly began to shake intensely. The winds picked up, causing them to almost fly off. Pan dug her feet into the tile and put her arms around her friends, making sure they didn't fly away.

Moments later, the tremors finally stopped. The group sighed in relief, some even slumping to the ground.

Piccolo gasped, staring at the sky with wide eyes, "What's going on? Bardock's ki is massive but it's draining way too fast."

"Oh no," Pan breathed in disbelief. "He's in his Silver Saiyan form."

"Silver Saiyan? What the heck is that?" Yamcha questioned.

Pan bit her lip, walking over to them as she explained, "When Bardock was in the Other World, instead of going Super Saiyan 3, he made his own form; Silver Saiyan. The only bad thing about it is that it drains him way too fast."

Krillin shook his head as the ground shook again, "If this is him going all out, I don't ever want to be on the other side of his fist."

This was getting serious. Pan put up her hands, stalling her friends' questions, "I'm sorry but I need to pay attention to this. I haven't felt Bardock fight like this since the last time he fought Buu."

She side stepped them and made her way to where the other fighters were. She closed her eyes, focusing on Bardock's rapidly falling ki. Judging from the other fluctuating ki, she could safely assume it wasn't Buu. It was evil, immensely so, but it there was an end to it while the past Buu's ki always felt endless. But that didn't make any sense.

She frowned tightly, "I don't understand. Why is he fighting so hard against a henchman and not saving his power for when Buu awakens?"

"Something tells me that whoever it is, they're giving Bardock a run for his money," said Piccolo, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. "Your brother's a strategist. I doubt he went into this fight headfirst."

"This is crazy," Krillin mumbled. "It's almost like I can feel his energy in the air; like I can touch it with my fingertips."

The four were startled when after a huge spike in Bardock's ki, it suddenly fell way too fast to be safe. He was back in his base form but his energy was much too low.

And then she felt it. The endless dark ki she always associated with the bad side of Majin Buu. He had finally awoken.

Piccolo swallowed dryly, "So that's Buu?"

"Yeah," Pan whispered, a bead of sweat falling down her face.

As they continued focusing on the new battle, Bulma walked over to them, her eyes filled with concern and slight frustration, "Pan, what are we supposed to do while they fight? What if one of them dies? Shouldn't we be getting the dragonballs?"

Pan flinched, lifting her hands, "Bulma, please. Bardock said he would deal with Buu. I think we should hold off on getting the dragonballs since the last time we got them, we didn't even get to wish for anything. And no one has died yet."

"So you say," Bulma huffed. Her bottom lip trembled. "Oh, I just hope Trunks and Vegeta are okay. I know they act tough but this Buu guy seems really powerful."

"He is," Pan sighed heavily. "But don't worry. Bardock knows how to deal with him."

"Oh no!"

The two of them whipped their heads around to gaze at Piccolo. His green skin seemed to be a shade lighter as sweat dripped down his face.

Fear raced through Pan's heart. "Piccolo, what is it?"

Piccolo shivered, "Can't you sense it? That Buu thing and the man Bardock was fighting seemed to have fused. Their ki is the most powerful thing I've ever felt."

It was then that Pan felt it. The endless ki that she knew as Buu was now much darker than it had ever been. For a second, she thought Kid Buu was back, but there was something about it that made the power familiar. While she could sense that Bardock's ki was back to normal, she knew he wasn't going to last long against this new fused villain.

Almost an hour later that consisted of them pacing and sitting on their hands while the humans tried to pass the time by doing whatever they could, they suddenly heard a grunt from under the Lookout.

She, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Krillin ran over to where a blood hand latched onto the edge of the floating platform. They were taken aback when Bardock's bloody face appeared. Seeing his struggle, they recovered quickly and helped him up the rest of the way. She tended to her brother while the others took Trunks, Vegeta, and Goku.

"What happened?" She asked frantically. She took stock of who was with him and furrowed her brow. Her heart twisted. "Bardock, where's Dad?"

Bardock swallowed, shaking his head weakly, "I don't…I don't know. He was too strong…so strong. I couldn't…" His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he passed out in her arms.

"Bardock! Bardock!" Pan called out. Tears stung her eyes as sorrow and anger fought in her in chest, trying to take precedence.

This was new ground but they were still paying the same prices.


	16. What Happens Next

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All eyes are on Bardock to come up with a plan to defeat Buuly.

Chapter 16

A weak groan left Bardock as he slowly began to awaken. He abruptly sat up, breathing frantically. He felt around his chest, noticing his now intact gi. He winced when he touched his face, feeling the scar that now adorned his cheek.

Glancing around, he realized that he was in one of the rooms in the Lookout. He thought he was having some kind of fever dream when he got here. The last thing he remembered was seeing the man that looked like Goku, and then the rest of his memory got very hazy after that.

_I'm still here, you know?_

Bardock flinched involuntarily at the gruff voice still echoing in his mind. He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I can see that." He stared down at his hands which still shook from the fear he tried so desperately to suppress.

He closed his eyes, searching for the tiniest inkling that would show that his father was still alive out there. Instead, he was met with nothing but dark ki of Buuly.

A broken sigh left his lips. After everything he did to make sure nothing in the past repeated, even though his father didn't technically die back then, it seemed that with Broly here, all of his work was for naught.

_It's not your fault._

"Yes it is," Bardock sniffed, wiping his nose. "I'm the strongest Saiyan there is here and I saw everything that was going to happen before it happened. I've even fought Buu before." He shook his head, his eyes stinging with tears, "I should've been able to save my dad, Kibito, and the Supreme Kai, but instead I let them die."

_You're killing me with this self-pity. Listen, kid, you had no idea Broly was that strong, and you had to fend for yourself. I think you'd be in worse waters if you let yourself get killed because you were trying to save everyone else._

Bardock sighed heavily, "Yeah, well, no one else is gonna see it like that." He smiled slightly, "But thanks, old man."

_You've got a cheeky mouth, kid._

The half Saiyan chuckled as he stood from the bed. A lump grew in his throat once he realized what he would have to face on the other side of the door. No matter how anxious it made him, he knew that it had to be sooner rather than later. He could feel Buuly causing rampage below them and it pained him to know that they had to let the people of the world die as they thought of a plan of attack.

He slowly opened the door to the room, his heart beating harshly against his ribcage, leaving him slightly breathless. He stepped out, a small ache appearing behind his eyes as they adjusted to the bright light of the sky.

"Bardock, you're awake!" Dende rushed over to him, relief on his face. "Are you okay? I healed you once you guys got here, but I just want to make sure. Goku said something about you getting hit with some kind of spell…?"

"Uh, yeah," Bardock nodded, scratching the back of his head. "But I'm fine now. It didn't last that long."

Dende nodded back, his eyes still worried, "If you're sure."

"I am," Bardock responded. He furrowed his brow when he heard voices overlapping from the other side of the Lookout, "What's going on?"

The young guardian bit his lip, gaze on the ground, "You need to see for yourself."

Bardock followed Dende to where everyone was gathered. He flinched, one hand unconsciously holding his arm. The screaming, mainly from his mother, did not help his self-deprecating thoughts.

He inhaled sharply, ignoring the heavy weight building in his chest, "Guys!" He shook his head with wide eyes once he got their attention, "What's going on?"

As the majority exchanged glances, Goku chose to speak, "We just told them what happened down there. We're trying to come up with a good plan to take care of Buuly, but-"

"Don't change the subject, Goku!" Videl exclaimed angrily. She turned her teary blue eyes to her son, glaring, "Where is your father, Bardock?"

He knew the question was coming. But coming from his mother who looked at him like everything was his fault; it sent a spike through his heart.

Videl became impatient. "Tell me, Bardock!" Tears streamed down her face, her eyes bloodshot. "Tell me," She pleaded desperately.

Bardock's breathing escalated. He counted to ten in his head, doing his best to get himself into his regular mindset. "Mom, I…" Tears welled in his eyes once again. He clenched his jaw tensely as he answered honestly, "I don't know where he is, Mom."

In all honesty, he should've expected the smack his mother dealt on his cheek. It didn't hurt physically, but to know his mother was so distraught that she didn't care about hitting him hurt more than fighting Buuly.

Sobbing, Videl rushed inside. Chi-Chi followed her, her own sobs escaping her lips as big tears fell from her eyes. Bulma glanced at him sympathetically before trailing after her friends, Minako on tail.

_You didn't deserve that._

"Yes, I did," Bardock said almost inaudibly. He wiped his eyes, clearing his tight throat before he addressed the others, "Okay, we're not gonna get anywhere if we're all arguing."

Pan ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head, "What do you suggest?" She shrugged when he gazed at her. "If what Grandpa said is true, Buuly is much stronger than the Buu we fought in the past. None of us stand a chance against him."

Bardock nodded, "You're right, we don't. I certainly don't. I couldn't even beat Broly in my silver saiyan form, and he was only in his first super saiyan form."

"What do you suggest we do?" Trunks asked, rocking Blouse in his arms. "Without Gohan, we're not looking so good."

_How are you gonna beat this monster?_

Bardock placed his hands on his hips, lips thinned in a firm line. A million thoughts ran through his mind. He lifted a finger, his mind latching onto a familiar idea. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do."

He gazed at them determinedly, "Vegeta, you're gonna have to go back to Capsule Corp. to get the dragon radar. Grandpa, when he gets back, I need you to take everyone to New Namek so they can summon Porunga. Trunks, you're going with them so Grandpa can come back."

"You're not gonna need me?" Trunks frowned.

"I'm only gonna need two people for this," Bardock said, his eyes on the two older Saiyans. He chuckled in disbelief as he mulled over the idea. "In this timeline, it's gotta be Grandpa and Vegeta."


	17. The Makings Of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Creating Gogeta was a little harder than they thought.

Chapter 17

Bardock stood at the edge of the Lookout, his eyes trained to vast sky around them and under them. He could sense Buuly's dark ki going around every city in the country, destroying it with ease. It wouldn't do them any good if he left to kill the many others around the world.

They needed Goku and Vegeta in top shape if they wanted the fusion to succeed. If his father was still here, he could've fused with him, but since he wasn't, and Trunks and Goten were of different age and had vastly different levels of ki, and Vegeta and Goku were the most compatible, mostly in terms of ki, they would have to do.

Hopefully he wouldn't have to deal with a cocky, sarcastic little punk like he knew the others did in the past.

_You really think this is gonna work?_

"It has to," Bardock mumbled, his eyes still gazing below. "It might not have worked when Gotenks was the one we had to rely on, but I'm sure whatever Grandpa and Vegeta's fused form will be, they'll be able to take on Buuly. I have no doubt that they'll be stronger than me and my dad. They're our only hope right now."

A familiar ki appeared next to him. He turned quickly and found Kibito gazing at him solemnly. A wave of relief hit him; if Kibito was alive, then his father and Supreme Kai were more than likely alive as well. He was also glad Kibito got his arm back somehow.

Kibito frowned, his eyes following the path Bardock's had taken before he arrived, "He seems to be taking extreme enjoyment in wiping out the population."

A shaky breath left Bardock. "He did that last time too, and he succeeded in wiping out the entire planet. If it hadn't been for me, he would've destroyed the earth as well."

"How did you stop him?"

"I took him to the Kai planet." Bardock smiled slightly, ignoring the sputtering of the pink man, "Speaking of, how are Supreme Kai and my dad? I thought they were gone, but you being here shows me that they have to be alive and on that planet."

Kibito nodded slowly, his eyes wide, "Uh, yes. Supreme Kai had me take him and Gohan to the Kai planet. I was able to heal all of us before Supreme Kai had Gohan take out the Z-Sword. He's training as we speak, but he wanted me to come down here to tell you he is alive and to not worry. He will be here as soon as he is strong enough to beat Buuly with the Z-sword."

Bardock shook his head, pursuing his lips, "Tell him it's no use. Break the sword."

The comment sent Kibito sputtering again. "D-destroy the Z-sword?! That might be the only thing that will save us!"

"Listen, I dealt with the sword in the past, and while it's awesome, it serves a different purpose. We broke it in the past and trapped inside is a Kai much stronger and, while perverted, wiser than Supreme Kai. He has powers that will help us greatly in the long run."

Eyes wide with shock, Kibito barely managed a response, "So…you want me to tell Gohan to break the sword to get the older Kai out?"

Bardock nodded, "Yep. Tell him I said to do it. And then have Old Kai bring out my dad's inner power. It's gonna take at least 24 hours for him to do, but tell my dad to just be patient because the outcome is better than he can imagine."

"Right," Kibito stated numbly. "I should be going then to relay the news."

"And I'll tell everyone not to worry since my dad is still alive," Bardock commented. He gave Kibito one last smile before the pink man disappeared before his eyes. He exhaled before booking it to where the others were gathered.

Everyone turned to him questioningly but he simply grinned, "I've got good news. Dad's still alive!"

Goku beamed. Chi-Chi fainted in relief. Videl began to cry again, this time with tears of joy. Most of group cheered happily while the stoic ones simply took the news in stride. Even with Buuly still on the loose, they needed something like this to bring their hopes back up.

"Where is he?" Tekka asked confusedly.

"He's in the Other World but he was taken there by Kibito and Supreme Kai," Bardock explained. "He's gonna be staying there to train while we continue the fusion training." He clapped his hands. "Okay, now I need everyone except Grandpa, Vegeta, Pan, Trunks, and Piccolo out of the room."

As the others walked out of the room, Bulma approached the young man with a small frown, "How long does this fusion last? I'll have you know that Chi-Chi and I are not going to share a husband."

Bardock snorted, putting his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, Bulma. This kind of fusion only lasts for 30 minutes."

"That's good," Bulma sighed. She glanced back at the Saiyans. "Does this fusion have a name?"

"Dunno. Gotenks told us his last time." Bardock smiled, waving her off, "We're gonna practice for now and when we're done, we'll be ready to show you guys."

Bulma nodded, "Alright. Just don't take too long."

"Hopefully we won't." With that, the two went off in opposite directions.

Goku scratched the back of his head as Bardock approached, "So, how does this whole fusion thing work anyway? Do we have to fuse our kis together?"

Bardock shook his head, "No, none of that. When I was in the Other World for 7 years with you from the past, we got to see many fighters from every universe. There were some that had this technique called fusion. By doing the fusion dance, the two of you will make an entirely new being that will have your characteristics physically and mentally, as well as combining your ki techniques."

"Excuse me, did you say dance?" Vegeta questioned, a tick over his eyebrow. "Not only will I be one with this idiot but I have to clown around before I do it? I didn't sign up for this!"

Trunks rolled his eyes, "Dad, come on."

"If we could use others, we would," Pan stated. "But Bardock says the best chance we have since our dad isn't here is with the two of you. Can you please just be quiet and deal with this like the rest of us, Vegeta?"

Vegeta grumbled, crossing his arms. Goku grinned at his best buddy, "Don't worry, Vegeta. With the two of us fused, we'll probably be the strongest in the universe." His grin turned sly, "Besides, we can show them our new Super Saiyan form we were working on."

A beat passed before Vegeta sighed in reluctant acceptance, "Alright, fine. Let's just get this over with."

"Okay. Pan, since you're the only one who has seen the dance, you're with me," Bardock started, gesturing for his sister to stand next to him. He held in a chuckle when he heard her groan in embarrassment, "Don't worry. We're not gonna start right now. We still need Grandpa and Vegeta to power up."

He turned to the older Saiyans. "It's gonna be a bit dangerous, not only because you guys are super powerful but also because Buuly is looking for us, but I'm gonna need you guys to power up to your fullest, but just to your Super Saiyan 2 forms. No higher than that. Do you understand?"

At their nods, he said, "Okay. Let's see it."

The half Saiyans watched as Goku and Vegeta began shouting as they powered up, the two quickly turning into Super Saiyans. Like Bardock expected, the wind picked up so much speed that it could've sent him and the others flying if they hadn't prepared beforehand. The earth shook below them and they could hear the complaints of the humans on the other side of the Lookout.

Moments later, the two Saiyans hit the highest they could go without jumping into the next level of Super Saiyan. While Bardock fully believed his grandpa could go to the third form, he had no knowledge of Vegeta ever reaching that level. Either way, if they both could go Super Saiyan 3, it was best if they kept that under wraps for now.

"Nice," Bardock nodded in satisfaction. "I know this isn't the highest level but it's enough that you won't suddenly get drained when you go back to your base form. Your kis are now in sync, so remember what this feels like. If either of you falters, you won't be able to fuse."

He frowned as he continued, "Unfortunately, we don't have time to train more than this since Buuly is more than likely coming here when he's done killing everyone. So we're gonna jump straight to the final step of fusion which is the dance. You can go back to your base forms." He tapped his sister's shoulder, a small smirk tugging at his lips, "Alright, Pan, let's do this."

"I want you to know that I hate you," Pan muttered as she reluctantly mirrored her brother's position, lifting arms up and stretching them out in the same direction.

Bardock gazed at the two Saiyans as he recited the directions his grandfather from the past gave Trunks and Goten, "To get it started, the two of you will stand right next to each other and go like this…" He nodded to himself and Pan. "Make sure your arms are straight."

He took tiny steps, swinging his arms to other side with Pan following his exact movements, "Then you say 'fuu'. You'll approach each other with outstretched arms, moving exactly 3 steps over and once you get that, you say…"

He moved his arms to the other side, his hands formed in fists as he lifted his knee. "Sion. Quarter turn and watch the angle of your knee."

"Remember to close your hands into fists," Pan supplied. "I saw Trunks make a mistake last time and he ruined the fusion."

Trunks resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Though he knew Pan wasn't talking about him, her smirk made it seem like she knew it would irk him somehow.

Bardock and Pan leaned their bodies towards each other, arms still outstretched, as their fingertips touched. "Then say 'ha!'," Bardock said. "Point your fingers parallel and don't forget the angle of your legs. It's very important." The two straightened. "Any questions?"

Goku stared with wide eyes while Vegeta shook with restrained rage, "I'd rather have Buuly kill me than have to do that stupid dance."

"Aw, come on, Vegeta, I think you're being too sensitive," Goku grinned. "It actually looks kinda cool."

"And that is precisely why I don't want to do it!" Vegeta exclaimed. "Anything Kakarot thinks is cool is obviously the worst thing imaginable."

Trunks heaved a sigh, "I'm really glad I'm not a drama queen like him."

"I think you mean drama prince, Trunks."

"Shut up, Kakarot!"

Bardock released an annoyed groan, "Oh my god, you two are so annoying. You're worse than Goten and Trunks. At least they were kids and it was justified on why they were annoying." He glared at them, "Enough! You're doing the dance no matter how stupid you'll look and that's final."

A beat passed before Vegeta huffed, "So you think we look stupid too." He stepped behind Goku, using him as a shield after Bardock let out a shout of irritation and charged at him, only to be held back by Pan and Trunks.

…

"Okay," Bardock began, standing in front of everyone the next day. "I know you guys are just annoyed as I am after having to hear Grandpa and Vegeta shout 'fusion ha!' day in and day out-"

"It was more you eating all the food that we were annoyed about," Oolong cut in.

"-but I'm happy and very relieved to tell you that Grandpa and Vegeta are finished with the training," Bardock continued, ignoring the snickering and his own eye twitching. "Once they fuse, we'll finally be able to take on Buuly. So, G & V, take it away."

He stood with everyone else as Goku and Vegeta got into the first fusion stance. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his racing heart as he watched their only chances of beating Buuly get ready.

"Fuuuu…" Goku and Vegeta began, swinging their outstretched arms to the other side while stepping closer. "Sion…" They brought their legs up and closed their hands into fists.

Bardock bit his lip anxiously.

"Ha!"

A bright light blinded everyone on the Lookout. Bardock simply narrowed his eyes, used to seeing the flash after witnessing Goten and Trunks fuse multiple times in the past. Gotenks was someone he grew accustomed to, despite his cocky and overly annoying personality. Now he waited to see who the two full blooded Saiyans would make.

Once everyone could see again, they were met with a tall male standing in the place Goku and Vegeta were. His hair matched Vegeta's; it stood up like a flame on his head, and, to Bardock's surprise, he was in his Super Saiyan form despite the two Saiyans being in their base form when fusing.

"It worked," Trunks breathed in awe.

Pan nodded numbly beside him, "This is so much cooler than Gotenks."

At the sound of their voices, Bardock snapped out of his daze, asking, "Who are you?"

"My name is Gogeta," The dual voices of Goku and Vegeta answered. He stared firmly with his teal eyes, "I'm here to kill Buuly."


	18. Gogeta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fusion fight.

hapter 18

Pacing seemed to be the only thing Bardock could do at this point in time. Everyone, save for Mr. Popo and Vegeta, was gone from the Lookout. Goku had taken them all to New Namek after Vegeta got them the dragon radar. There were some tearful goodbyes and some constant reassuring Bardock had to deal with, but they all took the next move in stride.

Now all he had to do was wait until Goku got back. He was more than likely greeting the Namekians jovially and forgetting about the mission at hand. Bardock only hoped Pan or Trunks would be able to help him realize they had little time to socialize.

The tell-tale sound of instant transmission caught his attention. He released a deep sigh when he saw his sheepish grandfather, "Finally. I thought I was gonna have to go to Namek and get you myself."

"Sorry, sorry," Goku chuckled, waving his hand. "I wanted to greet some of the Namekians but Goten took up most of my time. He wanted to come back with me but I told him he couldn't. It took Trunks, Pan, and Tekka to get him off my leg so I could leave."

"Poor kid," Bardock stated as Vegeta walked over. "But it's not like they're gonna be gone for long. Now come on, I need you guys fused before we get to Buuly."

Goku nodded, his eyes carrying the same serious look they always got when he was about to head into battle, "Right." He and Vegeta promptly got into position.

"Fuuuusion ha!"

Lifting a hand to cover his eyes, Bardock grinned slightly, "Good. Now let's ride." He gave Mr. Popo a nod before putting his hand on Gogeta's shoulder. He put two fingers to his forehead and sensed out Buuly's ki.

It wasn't long before they disappeared from the Lookout and reappeared in one of the cities that had just taken the full force of Buuly's wrath.

Sensing their presence, Buuly turned to them with a wide, toothy grin that sent chills down Bardock's back, "If it isn't the merry band of Saiyans." He raised an eyebrow as he took in their appearance, "Seems like your numbers have dropped. Where is Kakarot? He's the one I want to kill."

"Right here," Bardock answered as Gogeta floated forward.

"My name is Gogeta and I'm here to kill you," Gogeta voiced once more. He glared at the pink being, "Prepare yourself, Buuly. I won't hold back."

Buuly barked a laugh, "Then let's have it. Go all out!"

As the two hit head on, Bardock jumped back, barely escaping both of their attacks. All he could do now was watch and hope that Gogeta was strong enough to at least injure Buuly enough that he could jump in and defeat him in case the fusion wore off.

Just from watching them fight, Bardock felt a sense of pride swell in him; Gogeta was winning. Every hit he dealt on Buuly was stronger than any of his, and it took the pink bastard a while longer to recover from them. Hell, he was even bleeding from Gogeta's endless strikes.

This could be it. They could win.

_Despite you saying it, you don't seem convinced._

Bardock snapped back to reality, his eyes taking in Gogeta slamming Buuly into the ground before kicking him up in the air. He swallowed dryly, "Last time, my dad punched Buu so hard the old Buu came out. Kid Buu was the last form he took and it wasn't pretty. I couldn't lay one punch on him until I changed into Oozaru."

_So, as long as Gogeta keeps his punches above the gut, you'll be able to beat him._

"I can only hope," Bardock mumbled, his heart beating faster as he watched Gogeta ready an attack he had never seen before.

Gogeta stretched his arms out as a bright ball of ki formed in front of him. "Big Bang Kamehameha!"

The large ball flew at Buuly, almost devouring him. Unfortunately for them, Buuly got back up, his form barely injured despite the relentless attacks Gogeta dealt on him.

The fusion scoffed, "Well then, I guess we have to take it up a notch." He gave a shout as his aura flared wildly. His hair became more defined while electric bolts flew around his harsh aura.

Bardock blinked, "I shouldn't be surprised he can go Super Saiyan 2." A grin tugged at his lips. "This is getting interesting."

With his bigger power reserve, Gogeta wasted no time in throwing move he had at Buuly who finally seemed to realize the fusion wasn't someone to sneeze at.

The sight reminded Bardock of when his father in his Mystic form took on Buu in the past. Buu begged desperately for mercy after he got brutally beaten by Gohan. He could only hope Buuly would give up soon; there was no way he had something more up his sleeve.

"Damn," Bardock muttered as he gazed at the watch Bulma had given him. There was only 15 more minutes left before the fusion split. By the looks of it, Buuly didn't seem to be going down anytime soon.

Suddenly he was almost thrown back by the sudden gust of wind that picked up. His ears rang at the sound of Gogeta's screaming and his blood pounded in his head as he was overloaded with the sense of his growing ki. He carefully opened his eyes against the harsh wind and took in the sight of Gogeta's hair growing longer as he powered up.

His heart jolted in realization. "He's going Super Saiyan 3. I didn't even know Grandpa and Vegeta were this powerful in this timeline." An elated grin came onto his lips. "That means we might win this. We might be able to finish this before Dad gets here." He laughed, cheering boisterously, "Come on, Gogeta! Show him what you got!"

Gogeta smirked and did as he was told. He slammed his fist into Buuly's face, taking immense joy when blood spurted out of his mouth from the force of his attack. He grabbed Buuly by the strands of pink and yellow hair and kneed him in the face. He then proceeded to lay into with a wild variety of punches and kicks.

Everything moved so fast. Bardock could barely keep up. He rarely ever watched from the sidelines, and while it always irritated him knowing that he couldn't help out in any way, he made an exception for this battle. This was the most entertaining fight he had ever seen; double for the fact that it was the only one that made him extremely happy when he thought about the outcome.

However, the uplifting feeling in his chest fell when he realized there was only 5 minutes left of the fusion. He winced, lifting his hands up to his mouth and shouting, "Gogeta, hurry up and finish it already! We don't have much time!"

"Right," Gogeta nodded. He made to throw another punch. His eyes widened when it was caught easily in Buuly's hand.

Buuly chuckled lowly, his hand slowly crushing the fist, "You put up a good fight, Gogeta. I can't deny that. But let's stop playing games." He became screaming as he powered up. His power level increased tenfold. It soon dwarfed Gogeta's and continued to rise.

Buuly's beady black eyes disappeared, leaving only the white in Buuly's eyes. The yellow part of his hair turned green, for a reason Bardock could not understand. His huge aura turned green and so much more powerful that the harsh wind it kicked up sent Gogeta flying into Bardock. The fusion split into Goku and Vegeta once more as the three of them hit the shaking ground.

_Holy shit._

Bardock grunted, sitting up. He gazed at Buuly's new form and released a harsh sigh, his eyes stinging with unshed tears, "Damn it. We were so close."

Goku rubbed his head, a heavy frown on his lips, "This must be the Legendary Super Saiyan form Trunks was talking about."

"It pains me to admit it but even Gogeta couldn't match that," Vegeta stated gruffly.

"Well," Bardock swallowed as Buuly began walking towards them. "Grandpa, Vegeta; you made me really proud with how quickly you got the fusion dance down. Thank you. I hope to see you in the afterlife."

"Me too," Goku whispered, clenching his jaw. Vegeta nodded in agreement, his body tensing as the pink Saiyan got closer.

They were all suddenly blinded by a flash of light. Each one of them covered their eyes or looked away quickly. It soon died down, revealing a very familiar back.

Bardock breathed in disbelief and awe, "Dad!"


	19. Godock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gohan arrives but his new strength still isn't enough to defeat Buuly.

Chapter 19

Seeing his father's rigid back reminded Bardock of when Gohan in the past appeared before them in the same form. He was their saving grace. It was moments like this that made him happy to call his father the strongest in the world and his hero.

Goku laughed happily, one hand rubbing his bruised forehead, "Gohan! Oh man, it's so good to see you."

"You too, Dad," Gohan replied, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Vegeta," He gave a nod of greeting to the other man who simply gaped back. He glanced at Bardock who stared at him in awe. The smile grew. "Thanks for the advice you gave about the sword. I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier. I assume everyone's on Namek since I can't sense them."

His son gave a jerky nod which Gohan chuckled amusedly at before he turned his attention back to Buuly, any sign of softness in his eyes hardening at the sight of the being who almost killed his family.

Buuly grunted, cracking his neck, "I'm surprised your still alive."

Gohan smirked slightly, "That makes two of us." He got into a fighting stance. "I'm not going down easily this time."

"So you're here to fight me?"

"Fight you? No," Gohan glared, echoing the words his past counterpart used in the same battle. "I'm here to kill you."

Buuly barked out an incredulous laugh before charging at him. Gohan dodged his attack and lifted his leg, his knee lodging into Buuly's gut. Buuly choked, spit and blood flying out of his mouth. Before he could let out another sound, Gohan elbowed him in the back and sent him into the ground.

While Buuly was stronger than the normal Super Buu from the past, he was no match for Gohan in this form. Past Gohan was strong, especially once his inner power was released, but this Gohan was much stronger before all of that. He may not have been able to take down the androids but he was still able to go Super Saiyan 2 without having to reach his limits like his past-self did.

Mystic Gohan was a force to be reckoned with and Buuly was just realizing that as he got his pink butt pummeled. Even so…

"This isn't gonna work," Bardock stated solemnly.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, frowning, "What do you mean? Gohan is much stronger and you seemed to think so as well."

Goku nodded beside him, "Yeah, Bardock. Have some faith in your dad. He's way stronger than I've ever felt. We could actually beat Buuly." He cheered when Gohan upper cut Buuly and grabbed his antenna to bring him back down and knee him in the face.

"You don't understand," Bardock shook his head, his breath escaping him too fast as he watched Gohan and Buuly throw blasts. "Dad is stronger than ever, even stronger than he was in the past, but Buuly is just as strong, if not stronger in his legendary form. Dad only has so much power in him. If he doesn't kill him now, Buuly will just keep getting stronger."

"So we'll help him," Goku suggested with his usual Son grin though Bardock was too deep into his thoughts to hear him. He nudged Vegeta's shoulder. "Let's get ready to do the fusion again."

Vegeta groaned, rolling his eyes, "As long as we never have to do it again."

Their voices reciting the familiar chant to fuse caught Bardock's attention, bringing him out of his daze. His eyes widened when he saw them take the last step of the dance, "What are you doing? No!"

He flinched back, covering his face when a flash of light blinded him. He watched in horror as Gogeta stood next to him once again. "No," He breathed. He raised his voice, shouting at the fusion, "You idiots! What are you doing fused?"

"Why shouldn't we be fused?" Gogeta demanded. "I'm much stronger now. I can help Gohan defeat Buuly."

"No, no, no!" Bardock shook his head wildly, unknowingly gaining the attention of the injured Buuly. "You're more of a liability this way! Not only does the fusion last for only 30 minutes, but if you're injured as Gogeta you are injured as Goku and Vegeta. If the both of you are out of commission, we can't defeat Buuly!"

As Gogeta glared at the half Saiyan, Buuly kicked Gohan away from him and made sure to land further away. He stood on one of the rocky cliffs and smirked. The pink Saiyan let a piece of himself fall. The blob discreetly scrambled its way towards the arguing Saiyans. It waited until Bardock turned his gaze back to Gohan and Buuly before it latched onto the fusion.

Gogeta jolted when he felt the goo grab onto him. He raised his power level, hoping to break it off, but it only held on stronger and grew larger, wrapping around his arms and legs.

Bardock tackled the fusion and tried to wrestle the goop off as well. He dug his fingers into it and pulled though it had little effect. It soon snapped back into place, ignoring him completely.

"Gogeta!" He shouted urgently as the blob consumed the fusion. He watched in horror as it flew towards Buuly and latched onto him before seeping into his being.

Buuly cackled as smoke billowed around him. When it died down, his entire body was bigger than it had ever been. His antenna was shaped liked Gogeta's and Broly's hair and his clothes matched Gogeta's as well.

_This doesn't look good._

Bardock rolled his eyes, a bead of sweat dripping down his neck, "You think?" He quickly flew to his father, throwing him out of the way when Buuly let off a Big Bang Kamehameha.

The two hit the ground a few ways away, rolling in the dirt. Gohan lifted himself up, staring up at the now much stronger Buuly. "He absorbed Gogeta. Did he do that in the other timeline?"

"If I let Gotenks fight, he might have," Bardock mumbled. He spit out the dirt in his mouth and spoke raggedly, "We can't fight him like this, Dad. He's way too strong. He's probably stronger than Kid Buu was in the past."

"So what do we do?"

Ideas flew through Bardock's mind a mile a minute as Buuly slowly approached them, a sadistic grin stretching on his thin pink lips.

_Fuse, you idiot! It's the only option._

Bardock, despite hating the idea, grabbed Gohan's arm and stared determinedly, "We have to fuse."

"Wha-now?" The two jumped apart as another blast came towards them.

Grunting as he lifted himself out of some rocks, Bardock nodded slightly, "It's the only way we'll have enough power. We have to do it." He dodged Buuly's fist and threw his head into his. He regretted it instantly when his skull almost caved in.

Buuly grabbed him by his gi and threw him towards his father. Gohan caught him and made quick to find a hiding place. Blearily, Bardock placed two fingers to his forehead and focused.

A moment later, the two were on the Lookout. Bardock dropped out of his father's arms and gagged, his brain still sloshing in his skull. He stood up shakily, regarding Gohan, "We don't have much time. I'm gonna show you the moves very quickly. While I do that, I need you to drop your power level to mine, alright?"

"I already know the moves," Gohan shook his head, dropping his power level. "Old Kai had a crystal ball and showed me everything."

Bardock let out a chuckle, "Well aren't I lucky?" He walked over and got into position, watching the other male copy him. "On three, okay? One, two, three…"

"Fuuuuuuusion ha!"

Neither had thought it would be like this.

Godock stood in their place, gazing at his hands and body disbelief. He never imagined he would one day come alive. He narrowed his eyes, sensing Buuly's power getting closer. A smirk came onto his face as he pressed two fingers to his forehead.

When he reappeared, Buuly seemed surprised at his presence. The pink Saiyan gazed at him with a childish grin, "It seems fusion is the only thing you know."

"You're one to talk," Godock retorted, his voice a mixture of Gohan's and Bardock's.

"I suppose you're right," Buuly shrugged nonchalantly. "But then again, I'm two fusions and you're only one. Do you really think you can beat me?"

Godock glared, "I guess we'll have to find out." He powered up to Super Saiyan 2 and flew at his opponent.

The two clashed in the middle, throwing punches and kicks that would've broken even the strongest of men. Each hit harsher than the previous. Buuly could feel the strength in each hit and he knew this was the fight he had been waiting for.

A punch to Buuly's face. "Give up, Buuly!" Another punch on the other cheek. "You're reign of terror ends today."

"Never!" Buuly screamed back, only to have his mouth punched in again. He growled viciously, "Once I destroy this galaxy, I'll kill Kakarot!" His antenna whipped out and curled around Godock's hands tightly. "Now die!"

A painful jolt flew through Godock's body as Buuly used his antenna to send a pink blast through him. He gritted his teeth and began to power up, hoping to counteract the blast and keep him from turning into the dreaded candy.

Before the fusion could become chocolate, Buuly opened his mouth wide, his jaw hitting his knees, and swallowed him.

Wrapped in the purple light, Godock shouted as he fell down Buuly's body to his stomach. Right as they hit the floor, the fusion broke, throwing Bardock and Gohan apart.

Bardock stood up abruptly, gazing at his limbs. He let out a loud groan of relief, "Thank god we're not chocolate. That barrier worked well." He gazed up at the organs around them with a thoughtful frown, "We are pretty small though."

"Maybe Buuly messed up," Gohan said, dusting himself off as he stood up. "We should find a way out of here."

"Wait, if we're inside Buuly that means we can get the other Buu and Grandpa and Vegeta out," Bardock said.

Gohan reared his head back, staring incredulously, "Didn't you say that if we did that Kid Buu would come out? We'll just be making Buuly into Kid Buuly. He'll be stronger than before."

Bardock shook his head, "Not if we get Broly out too." He began taking a path he assumed was to Buuly's head. "Come on, Dad. We gotta be quick. If I smell Buuly's stomach acids for another minute, I'm gonna throw up in him."

Staring at his son's retreating form, Gohan sighed heavily, "I don't know if I have faith in this part of the mission." He made quick to follow however.

If there was one thing Bardock was grateful about Broly being in Buu, it's that he got way too cocky. Granted, he was able to back it up but it also meant that there were no defense mechanisms in the pink being now that Broly was in charge of it.

The trek towards Buuly's head was horrible, mostly because it still smelled wherever they went. Bardock gagged, dragging his feet, "Why couldn't he have just left everyone in his stomach? It would've saved us a whole disgusting trip."

Gohan chuckled lightly, "Keep your head on, son. We've still got a mission to focus on."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" He soon straightened when they approached the path to Buuly's head. He tugged on his father's sleeve and gestured to the small tunnel.

They exchanged glances before nodding. On the other side of the tunnel, Goku and Vegeta were encased in a pink bulb, suspending them from the ground. Gohan was quick to check his father.

"They're alive," Gohan sighed in relief. He stepped back, powering up a ki blast in his hand. "Let's get them out of this."

The two shot ki blasts to rip off the tendrils holding up the bulbs. Once they were down, Bardock gazed around and mentally cheered when he found Buu's bulb. He made his way over only to halt when he felt a familiar ki next to him.

A bead of sweat fell past his temple as he slowly turned. He swallowed dryly as he stared at Broly, "So you're not in one of those."

"Why of course not," Broly smirked, all teeth. He stood before him in his Legendary Super Saiyan form, looking much more intimidating without Buu. "Did you really thing you could come in here and save your friends?"

"We wouldn't be in here if you were smart enough to not eat us that quickly," Bardock quipped dully, silently hoping that his father knew where he was.

Broly glared with his pupil-less eyes, "You must think you're so funny."

Bardock shrugged, "It's not my fault you have no sense of humor."

Riling up Broly wasn't ever a good idea but if it meant he would be distracted while Gohan took the other Buu, Bardock would take the challenge and not fear the consequences. He pushed himself at the older Saiyan, throwing his entire weight to knock him off balance.

He dodged a punch and retaliated the same. Broly caught his fist, squeezing and slowly crushing it. Bardock gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain as he threw his head back and slamming it forward. A sharp pain pierced his skull. He endured it for nothing for Broly simply smirked and gripped his throat with his free hand.

Air left his lungs before he could think of another way to escape. He gripped Broly's wrist but gazed at his father. "Now, Dad!"

He was dropped when Gohan tackled Broly, his hands filled with the bulbs. Before Bardock hit the floor, he gripped onto his father's gi and put two fingers to his head.

Moments later, they were back outside with Buuly standing still in front of them, in a city now instead of the terrain they were fighting in. Bardock felt his ears pop when his body poofed back into its normal size.

"You alright?" Gohan asked as he pried the bulbs off Goku and Vegeta.

Bardock blinked, trying to get his bearings back, "Yeah. I'm good." He walked over to Buu and helped take the bulb off him as well.

_Uh, kid. You might wanna turn around._

He stiffened, slowly turning his eyes to Buuly as steam began billowing out of the holes on his arms in chest, soon engulfing the pink Saiyan in smoke.

Dread filled his chest when he laid eyes on an all too familiar being.


	20. Not Yet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They couldn't defeat him, but it wasn't the end just yet.

Chapter 20

Staring at Kid Buuly now, Bardock knew whatever plan he could've come up with would fall flat. Kid Buuly's strength hit a point that he didn't know existed. Even if he did turn into Oozaru, there was no way he was going to be able to take Kid Buuly down.

There wasn't much they could do now, but they could get him off the planet so they wouldn't have to wish for it back.

"We have to go," Bardock whispered as Kid Buuly slowly approached.

Gohan stepped back, furrowing his brow. "How? Wherever we go, he'll more than likely find us."

Bardock breathed deeply, tensing his body in preparation, "It's not about hiding, it's about saving the planet from being destroyed. I'm gonna take us to the Kai planet. Unfortunately, Grandpa, Buu, and Vegeta are staying here. Hopefully Supreme Kai can see what's happening so he and the others can leave and come here to collect them before we get there." He cracked his neck. "Now let's do this."

He charged at Kid Buuly who seemed a bit surprised at the first attack being so head on and reckless. When arms wrapped around his waist, the pink Saiyan wasted no time in grabbing Bardock's waist and lifting him up and slamming his knee into his gut.

The pain was immense, and in one of Bardock's favorite places, but he held on. He kept one arm around Kid Buuly, one hand gripping the pink skin tightly as he fumbled to get his other hand free to put two fingers to his forehead.

He grunted as Kid Buuly struggled in his grip, "Now, Dad!"

The moment he felt his father grab his ankle, he teleported them to the Kai planet and hoped that his memory of it would get them there safely.

…

On Namek…

Several minutes after Goku teleported them to Namek, the gang went on to look for the dragonballs and fast. The expedition took a bit longer to get started since Tekka almost hyperventilated at the fact that he was on another planet, one not in their solar system, and because he wanted to be introduced to every single Namekian there was, as if any of them, minus Dende, knew them.

Gine was a different story. She was quiet most of the time but Pan knew her best friend long enough to know that she was overwhelmed with everything that happened the past couple of days. Still, she was just happy she hadn't fully freaked out yet.

The quest for the dragonballs didn't take that long, much to everyone's relief. Once they had the coordinates from the dragon radar, they set out to find them. They had more flyers in the group than they did in the past so it made splitting up easier.

Tekka rubbed his chin as he watched Dende put the dragonballs together. "So…when was the last time you guys came here?"

"My dad came here after Bardock destroyed the androids to bring every good person who was killed by the androids back to life as well as fixing every city they destroyed," Pan explained. "We couldn't use our own dragonballs since Piccolo was killed. Back then, he was connected with Kami, our past guardian. When he died, so did Kami and the dragonballs."

A shocked gasp escaped Tekka's lips, "Wait, we have dragonballs on earth? Why didn't we just use those?"

Resisting the urge to rub the bridge of her nose, Pan answered, "Porunga gives us three wishes and brings back people however many times he sees fit. Since the people of earth have been killed before, Shenron probably wouldn't bring them back. Also, we get 3 wishes here and 2 wishes on earth."

Gine addressed her best friend as Dende began chanting in his native tongue, "So you can wish anyone back to life?"

"As long as they didn't die by natural causes," Pan answered with a slight grimace. "We only got Grandpa back after a lot of persuasion which also costed us 2 wishes. We had to use Shenron to bring the earth back to normal."

A large crack hit their ears as lightning shot out of the dragonballs. The sky darkened as the lightning slowly turned into a dragon Pan had never once laid eyes on. She breathed in awe as Porunga floated above them, "Wow."

"Yeah," Tekka croaked with his eyes wide and his jaw on his chin. Gine fared no better next to him with her face pale and her hands shaking at the sight of the dragon.

Porunga's voice boomed around them as he spoke, " _You have summoned me. What is it that you want? I will give you three wishes._ "

Dende turned his attention to the rest of the group, his eyes questioning, "Bring everyone Buuly killed back and restore the planet?"

Piccolo nodded solemnly, "That's what we need."

As Dende recited the wishes to the dragon, Krillin raised an eyebrow, "So what do we do with the last wish? Do we need it to get back to earth?"

"Goku or Bardock will take us back when they defeat Buuly," Piccolo stated. "What I want to know is how the fight is going down. I can't sense anyone other than Buuly from here. If he's still alive, that means the fighting is still going on."

"I hope they're okay," Chi-Chi said worriedly, clutching Goten in her arms.

Trunks smiled reassuringly, one arm around Minako while the other held a sleeping Blouse, "They'll be fine, Chi-Chi. Bardock knows what to do."

Pan bit her lip, a part of her desperate to believe Trunks, to have the utmost faith in her brother. She had seen what it was like when Bardock doubted himself and it was never good. As long as Buuly didn't get stronger or somehow turn into Kid Buuly, she knew he and the others would be fine. He couldn't lose when there was so much at stake.

She sucked in a breath when she felt it; that looming feeling of terror as the dark ki grew in her senses. No, there was no way. Bardock wouldn't…

"What is that?" Piccolo questioned horrified.

Bulma held Bra to her chest tighter, her lips in a deep frown. "What is it, Piccolo? What's wrong?"

"Buuly," Pan let out in a shaky breath, her chest feeling like it was caving. "He's Kid Buuly now."

"How did that happen?" Trunks inquired in shock. "I thought you said that they would have to take out the first Buu to bring out the last form."

Videl shook her head numbly, "There's no way Bardock would do that. He hates Kid Buu and still has nightmares about him. He would never bring him back willingly."

Piccolo clenched his jaw, his body tense, "Something must've happened. But if Kid Buuly is now here, are they even strong enough to beat him?"

"No they are not." The group gasped and turned quickly to find Kibito, Supreme Kai, Goku, Vegeta, Buu, and an older looking Shin.

Old Kai smiled politely, a crystal ball in his arms as Goku and Vegeta were crowded by the group in an instant, "I know you are all curious about what's going on with Bardock and Gohan, and since they are so insistent on destroyed our planet, I decided to come here to show you everything that's going on."

He sat down, placing the crystal ball on the ground. "Tell that dragon to wait. We got a fight to watch."

…

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Bardock shouted aggressively as he thrust his hands forward, shooting out a strong, bright blue beam at Kid Buuly. He pressed his feet into the ground and poured his power into the attack.

However, his efforts were for naught. Kid Buuly caught the beam with his hands and shot his own attack, overpowering the half Saiyan's. Bardock canceled his blast and jumped out of the way, wincing when the blast clipped his shoulder.

Gohan, who had been knocked away moments before, charged right back into the fray and began throwing every combination of punches, kicks, and elbows he knew. No move seemed to work. Kid Buuly blocked and dodged each one, and came back stronger with his own physical attacks, bruising and more than likely fracturing Gohan's skin and bones.

A kick to his leg had Gohan crying out in pain. A harsh blow to the face sent him to the ground roughly, his nose bleeding profusely as he hacked out another glob of blood from his mouth.

He set his blurry gaze on Kid Buuly and felt his chest seize when he saw the powerful blast appearing in his hands. He couldn't move with his leg like this; bleeding with the bone sticking out. He'd have to take the blast and hope that he wouldn't die and leave his son to fight this monster alone.

The blast was suddenly shot in the air. Gohan blinked, his eyes focusing on Kid Buuly's rigid body as he tried to get the mass that latched itself onto him off. A pinch of relief hit Gohan when he realized Bardock had grabbed the pink Saiyan in a choke hold.

Bardock gritted his teeth as Kid Buuly struggled in his arms. He knew his Super Saiyan 2 form wouldn't be enough to hold him but he couldn't go Silver Saiyan; he'd die before he could get real damage done in that form.

He tipped his body backwards and slammed Kid Buuly into the ground. He placed two fingers to his forehead, gathering his ki. "Special beam cannon!" He shot out a blue and red beam towards his opponent.

Smoke billowed all around Kid Buuly, consuming his form. Bardock's eyes darted around the area frantically, trying to figure out the pink bastard's next move. He knew he wasn't dead so what was he waiting for. Any moment now he'd come out stronger.

Any moment now-

Blood suddenly spurted out of Bardock's mouth as his body slowly fell to the floor; the beam that pierced his chest disappearing after hitting its target.

Gohan's eyes widened in shock, his heart pounding in his chest causing his broken and fractured bones to cry out. "Bardock!" He shouted hoarsely, tears streaking down his bloody wounded face.

Kid Buuly walked over to him, his arm that had been blasted off by Bardock slowly remaking itself. He chuckled sadistically as he stood over the weeping father.

"You…" Gohan shook with rage, his power level rising sharply. "You bastard!" He flew at the pink being with everything he had left.

On the other side of the fighting, Bardock's body shook as his soul held on to the last string of life left in him. He grunted weakly, desperately trying to move any limb to help him stand and fight once more. He could hear Gohan crying out in pain not far from him as he fought Kid Buuly. A sort of dark anger swelled in his chest.

He couldn't let his father die. He disappointed his family enough during the last few days he wasn't going to break them by lying down while his father was beaten to death. He just had to get up. Once he was, he would be able to ignore the numbing pain in his chest.

_Come on, kid. Don't let this be the end._

Bardock let out a small breath, his head lolling to the side.

_I know this hurts, but you're still alive. That has to mean something. I know you want to help your old man so do as I say._

Another breath.

_You've done this before so all I need you to do is look at one of the moons._

His eyes turned to one of the full moons high in the sky. His heart, still unscathed despite the chest blast, roaring up at the sight. A slightly familiar rush of raw energy flowed through his system.

_That's it. Let that power come in._

Muscles tensed and bulged. His black eyes turned pink. His heart continued to pound in his chest sending blood rushing to his ears.

_I know this is gonna hurt, but don't let the Oozaru out. Just take its power and use your rage to hold onto your mind and body. It'll be a struggle but you need to do it if you want to save your father. If you let the Oozaru out fully, you won't be able to take Kid Buuly out. Now channel its power!_

Back to the fighting, Gohan stood unsteadily, one leg still broken. His body felt heavy and he knew that he couldn't keep fighting coherently, but he wasn't going to stop. That bastard killed his son and he wasn't going to let him live.

He swallowed dryly, the sharp iron tang in his mouth bringing his focus back to Kid Buuly who hovered above him. His eyes widened when he saw the giant pink ball of ki that continued to grow in Kid Buuly's hand.

If that blast hit anywhere near them, the Kai planet would disintegrate with him and Bardock. Everyone had put their faith in him, including his son, so he had to fight back with everything he had.

He cupped his hands to his side, his eyes still on the pink being and his giant ki ball as he chanted, "Kame…hame…" He poured every last ounce of his ki into his hands. He thrust his hands forward, shouting, "HA!"

Right as the beam left his hands Kid Buuly threw down his ki ball and pushed it against the beam coming at him.

Gohan gritted his teeth as the ball continued to swallow his beam and bear down on him as it got closer. The ground broke beneath him in his struggle for more energy. He could feel the intense heat and power coming from the ball as it grew closer, so much so that the only space between him and it was the small ki blast in his hands.

A crater formed around him as he kept sinking to the floor with the giant ball. The end was coming now. He wished it wouldn't be this way but there was no hope left. Even if he somehow got all of his ki back, he still wouldn't be a match for the pink being.

The ball bore onto him strongly, sending him to the ground. He lay on his back as the ball slowly descended upon him and the earth. His eyes slowly closed, his ki drained and his limbs heavy with exhaustion.

He gave one last thought to his family, hoping that they were safe before he succumbed to the calling darkness.

…

"No, Gohan!" Goku yelled anxiously as he and the others watched the ball fall on Gohan through the crystal ball. He clenched his fists and shook his head, "There's no way Gohan and Bardock are dead. They can't be. They're the last hope we have!"

Supreme Kai let out a shaky breath, his eyes dull, "I'm sorry, Goku, but it looks like he was too strong for them."

With Chi-Chi, Goten, and Videl sobbing behind her, Pan lowered her gaze, willing the stubborn tears back. They still had one more wish. They now had a wish to use. However, before she could open her mouth to tell Dende to wish for her father and brother back, Tekka's voice cut in.

"Wait, what's going on?" Awe coated his tone. "The ball is moving away from Mr. Son."

Everyone gathered around the ball once again, wiping their tears away for a clearer vision to see what the young teen was talking about.

Pan gasped, "It's Bardock!"

Sure enough, holding the giant killing ball of ki with one hand while holding an unconscious Gohan in his free arm was Bardock, the wound on his chest seared shut and his now pink eyes glared heatedly at Kid Buuly.

This Bardock was one they hadn't seen before.


	21. End of a Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buuly's reign was finally over.

Chapter 21

The last time Bardock fought Kid Buu, he felt a raw power flow through him and a chaos he couldn't control echo in his chest. It was a feeling he had never felt before and it scared him to know that such a power, one he couldn't control, was only a full moon away. He thanked Kami that his family was all there that day. If they hadn't been, he would've been the one to destroy the Kai planet without a second thought.

Now the energy that flowed through him was the same. It was the same intense rage along with the unlimited power that came from Oozaru. However, he had full control over the energy flowing through him because the rage wasn't Oozaru's, it was his. It was his anger at himself and at Kid Buuly for torturing his father.

Thanks to the previous Bardock in his mind, he was able to hold onto the last shred of control while Oozaru power pooled into his veins, giving him that same sense of raw energy he almost forgot about.

He stepped out of the crater, his unconscious father in one arm while he held the giant ball of ki in his free hand. The wound on his chest, matching in the back, was seared shut, leaving a hideous scar. He locked gazes with Kid Buuly, his intense pink matching his opponent's pupil-less eyes.

He shot a ki blast into the ball, sending it out of the planet. The explosion it caused the planet to shake but it didn't deter either of the fighters.

Kid Buuly growled, taking a step towards the half Saiyan. He stumbled when the teen suddenly left his sight. He whipped his head around, staring as Bardock set Gohan down, away from the beginning battle before appearing in front of him once more.

The pink Saiyan let out a shout of frustration and charged at Bardock. He shot his fist forward, hitting him point blank on the center of his forehead. However, Bardock didn't move an inch. Blood trickled down the new wound on his face, staining the already red headband but he paid it no mind.

He regarded Kid Buuly coldly, his eyes never wavering. He grabbed Kid Buuly's wrist, trapping him in his steel grip, and lifted his other hand to his face. Kid Buuly's white eyes widened when he saw the ki blast growing in his palm.

The blast was shot off, sending a harsh beam at Kid Buuly's face. When it died down, his head was slowly morphing itself back together.

Bardock slammed his knee into Kid Buuly's stomach, sending him to his knees. He then placed on foot on his fallen opponent's shoulder while still holding his arm and began pulling ruthlessly.

The newly formed mouth wasted no time in screaming. Pink skin stretched, snapping away from each other. Soon, the entire limb was ripped off. Kid Buuly opened his mouth again to shout garbled words at him. However, his mouth was soon preoccupied by his own arm being shoved into the orifice, going through the back of his head.

Kid Buuly choked as he stood up, staring in fright at the Saiyan still staring down at him with unflinching eyes. He shot off a ki blast, flinching himself when Bardock took it without moving an inch. A fist embedded itself in his cheek, sending him to the floor. He screamed as the arm lodged in his mouth was yanked out.

The pink Saiyan stared up at Bardock, his entire body trembling. He'd never felt this before, this fear. Was he going to die? He couldn't. Not yet. He had galaxies to destroy. He wasn't going to let a filthy half Saiyan kill him when everything was just at his fingertips.

Quickly, he shot a blast at the teen, hoping to distract him, and flew off to the sky in an attempt to leave.

Bardock stared at the retreating form blankly. A powerful ki blast powered up in his hand, blue around the edges and white in the middle.

_Final Spirit Cannon!_

He threw the ki blast, watching it hit Kid Buuly dead on. His hand still outstretched, he powered more of his energy into the blast and listened to pink being's screams. The pink Saiyan's body began cracking as the lives of both Buu and Broly slowly left him. The screams soon died down and all that was left of Kid Buuly was dust.

Bardock stared down at mess dully before his world shifted and his face hit the floor.

…

On Namek, cheers deafened the population. Piccolo rubbed his ears but couldn't stop the small smile growing on his lips. It was finally over. They were all safe from Kid Buuly's wrath thanks to Bardock.

He addressed Dende, "I think I know what our last wish will be."

Dende smiled brightly, nodding. He turned back to Porunga and began chanting the next wish. Once he was done, Porunga granted the wish and went back into the dragonballs. They lifted into the air before shooting in seven different directions.

"I knew that boy had it in him," Old Kai chuckled, clapping his hands. He glanced at Supreme Kai, "Alright, let's go home. Hopefully those kids didn't ruin it too much."

Supreme Kai laughed brightly, "Of course, of course. But first, we need to take the others back to earth."

"Well what are you waiting for? Hop to it."

…

On the Kai planet, Gohan stirred, slowly coming back to consciousness. He gave a long groan, his body still somewhat achy. He blinked suddenly and lifted himself from the ground. He felt…he felt stronger than before. Was he dead? Was Bardock?

A hand appeared in front of his face. He brought his gaze up and smiled in relief at the familiar face staring down at him.

"Come on, Dad," Bardock stated with a smile. "Let's go home."

The thought still hadn't left. "Are we dead?"

Bardock bellowed a laugh, "Trust me, Dad. I've been dead and this ain't it." He grabbed his father's hand and helped him stand. He held onto him while he used his free hand to put two fingers to his forehead. "Mom and Pan have been worried sick about you."

"I can't wait to see them," Gohan said wistfully as they disappeared.

The moment they touched the tile of the Lookout, they took a breath of fresh air, air that was no longer marred with the smoke of burning cities. Their eyes locked onto their friends and family.

Goku was the first to break away, exclaiming happily, "You guys did it!" He laughed jovially as he grabbed his son and grandson in a bear hug and spinning them around.

Pan quickly walked over, her own grin bright, "Okay, Grandpa, I think they've had enough of that."

"Sorry, sorry," Goku continued to laugh. "I'm just so happy! It's finally over."

"Don't worry, Gramps, I share your sentiments," Bardock laughed with him.

Gohan opened his arms when Goten rushed at them. He scooped him up and held him tightly. "Hey, little man. You keep Mom safe?"

"Yes, big brother," Goten nodded vigorously, closing his eyes as he took comfort in his brother's arms.

Bardock reached over, ruffling the child's hair. "Good job, Uncle Goten."

Pan nudged his arm, her eyes on the giant scar on his chest. "You okay, bro?" She and the others had been surprised that Bardock survived such a blast. While she had been relieved that he was alive after it, she knew it must've been painful to endure.

"Of course I am," Bardock grinned as he put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about me, sis."

"Gohan!"

At the sound of his wife's and mother's voice, Gohan felt tears sting his eyes. He passed Goten to his father and embraced both women who flew at him, the two sobbing happily when they held onto him.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again," He whispered shakily.

The two women simply continued to cry. The rest of the gang watched the scene with tender gazes, minus Vegeta who closed his eyes, standing peacefully.

"Bardock, Bardock, Bardock! My baby B!"

Bardock laughed as he caught the enthusiastic Tekka in his arms. He lifted him high onto his shoulders, patting his back as he grinned, "I missed you too, Tek." His eyes softened when they landed on his other, more reserved friend. "Hey, Gine."

"Hey, Bardock," Gine smiled slightly.

_Gine?_

"Bardock?"

Tekka slipped out of his friend's arms and stood next to Pan as Bardock slowly turned to his timid mother. He stiffened his upper lip, mentally telling himself not to cry.

_Seriously, kid? You're gonna cry?_

"Shut up," Bardock hissed to himself. He swallowed, inhaling shakily, "Hi, Mom."

Tears streaked down Videl's face. "I'm so sorry," She whimpered, embracing him tightly. "You didn't deserve that. My baby boy, I'm so sorry. I love you."

Bardock sniffled as he hugged his mother back, his tears curling on his lips and chin as they streamed down his cheeks, "It's okay, Mom. I love you too."

The scar on his chest still hurt but the warmth that bloomed in his heart made him forget all about it because he was finally home.


	22. Something Blossoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> End on a soft note.

Chapter 22

"You gonna choke me again?" Bardock joked with a grin as Pan did up his tie, giving them both a sense of déjà vu.

Pan glared playfully as she finished up, "Don't test me. I'll do it."

"I have no doubt."

A week had passed since Kid Buuly's defeat. That was how long it took to get everyone of the world settled after they died a second time. The Z Fighters debated on whether they should get Shenron to erase their memories, but Hercule was there to ease the minds of the public, stating he saved the world by befriending Buu.

Bardock knew that once Hercule and Buu were introduced that they would hit it off nicely and boy was he right. They hadn't been separated since they met. It made him happy that his grandfather had a companion to turn to now that his daughter and grandkids were living their own lives.

After everything was said and done, Bulma decided to throw a party to celebrate the victory and no one dying. The entire scene reminded the twins of the party they went to in the past after Kid Buu was defeated, and that's where they found themselves now.

Bardock grinned slightly, straightening his tie, "Do I have to worry about a boyfriend this time?"

"Hmm, maybe," Pan stated airily as she left the room, her dress flowing behind her.

The statement sent her brother sputtering. "Wha-hey! Don't just say stuff like that and walk away!" He groaned disgruntledly and followed her out, sulking.

His mother's laughter reached his ears. "Pan, stop teasing your brother." Videl walked over and pecked his cheek. "You look handsome, Bardock."

"That's not what she was teasing me about," Bardock grumbled, a small blush appearing on his cheeks. He caught sight of his dad and grinned mischievously, "Hey, Pan, you wanna tell Dad what you told me?"

"Shut up, you jerk!"

Gohan was the one to laugh this time, "Okay, guys. Enough. I don't need you both ruining your party-wear before the party even starts." He gave Videl a quick kiss before ushering Pan over to the group. "Alright, let's go. Bardock, if you would do the honors."

"My pleasure," Bardock said, putting two fingers to his forehead. He grabbed his sister in a headlock just as they disappeared.

The moment they appeared in Capsule Corp., they were greeted enthusiastically by Krillin, Yamcha, and Goku. Bardock laughed with everyone as they all exchanged hugs and greetings. He perked up when he saw two familiar faces. He waved them over and gave hugs to Tekka and Gine.

"It's good to see you guys again," He said happily as he pulled away. "How have you guys been?"

Tekka whined, burrowing himself in his friend's arms, "Bored. I miss seeing you every day, B. Your family is so entertaining and you took that from me." He glanced over his shoulder and beamed, "Pan!"

Bardock rolled his eyes when Tekka scrambled over him to rush over to Pan to greet her with a tight hug. He smiled when he locked eyes with Gine, "How have you been doing?"

"Fine," Gine shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. "I did kinda miss your face."

"That's probably the nicest thing you've said to me," Bardock said jokingly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded to the buffet. "Why don't we get something to eat? Then we can catch up."

Gine nodded, following him, "Lead the way."

Soon the party was underway. People were chattering as if they hadn't seen each other just last week. Then again, Tien and Chiaotzu were there and while they survived Buuly's attacks, they wanted to know the full story.

The teens had a good time talking to their friends. It felt nice being able to talk about school even if they hadn't shown up since before the tournament started. They decided to go back in the beginning of the next school week.

It wasn't long before everyone was dancing and drinking. Well, the adults were drinking while the kids and teens sipped their sodas. Everyone was entertained watching Roshi, Oolong, and Krillin dance. Yamcha soon joined in, but he was so drunk that he stumbled into one of the tables and knocked everything over, sending everyone into hysterics, mostly Vegeta.

Once everything mellowed out, Bardock made his way outside, rubbing his chest. Dende may have healed him but the ache was still there. He stared at his reflection in one of the many mirrors in Capsule Corp. His face looked a bit more rugged, thanks to the scar on his cheek, and older. He assumed it was because he was so tired.

_I think it's because of me._

Bardock blinked, lowering his hands, "Oh, I forgot you were still there."

"I just got here."

The half Saiyan jumped at the new voice. He spun around with wide eyes before breathing a sigh when he locked eyes with Gine. "Oh, hey. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Who were you talking to?" She asked as she stood next to him.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Myself, sorry. Maybe my scar too."

Gine frowned in concern, "How are you, by the way? I don't think anyone ever really asked after everything."

Touched by her concern, he smiled softly, "I'm fine. Thank you for asking." He rubbed his chest again. "I guess it just feels weird. I'm not used to having a lot of thick scars on my body even though I fight a lot."

"What about your cheek?"

"It's good," He said, rubbing his hand over the scar. "I guess I'm gonna have to get used to joining the facial scar club."

Gine smirked, "Your dad's in it."

Bardock snorted, "So is Yamcha."

A beat of silence passed between the two. Gine exhaled, intertwining her fingers together and letting them hang in front of her, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for blaming you for Tekka getting beaten up. You didn't deserve that."

"You don't have to apologize for that," Bardock shrugged. "Don't ever apologize for standing up for a friend. It did hurt but I understood why you did it. So you don't have to say sorry because there's nothing you have to be sorry for."

"Still," Gine said softly, staring at her feet.

Seeing her guilty expression, he held his arms open with a soft smile, "Come here." Once she was in his arms, he held her tightly, placing his cheek on her head. "Thank you for looking after Tekka and my sister, and thank you for taking care of yourself. I don't think I would've survived if anything happened to you."

Gine clutched his shirt tightly, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. "I'm really glad you're alive too."

Tears seeped into Bardock's shirt and it was then he realized how much the Buuly ordeal hurt Gine. She lost her family during 17 and 18's rampage, and now she could've lost her friends because of Buuly. He was extremely glad he killed the stupid pink Saiyan now.

He slid one hand in Gine's hair, his arms still tight around her. "You don't have to worry about me, Gine. I won't ever leave you." He smiled at her reassuringly when they pulled away and wiped away her tears with his thumb, "I'm gonna stay right here for as long as you'll let me."

Gine hiccupped, more tears flowing out of her eyes. She threw herself back into his embrace and held on. Bardock embraced her back, closing his eyes and savoring the close contact.

The voice in his head went unheard.

_I love you, Gine._


End file.
